Love and Water
by nineetaaaillled
Summary: "Alright, another question?" "Okay." replied Hinata, gazing at the stars with the boy she has loved all her life, unsure if she was dreaming. If she was, she didn't want to wake up. *In which our favorite blond shinobi begins to discover how important a certain Hyuuga is to him, just as something dark brews on the horizon* Canon/AU. Super fluffy
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **Character ages:**

 **Naruto, Hinata, and all of their friends: 19**

 **Neji: 21**

 **Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, Hanabi: 11-12**

 **CHAPTER ONE – THE HOMECOMING**

The sun shone brilliantly from its midday position in the clear blue sky. A cooling breeze blew from the north, providing relief in the hot July weather.

"Ahhhh, a beautiful day like this and we have to sit here doing absolutely nothing!" Groaned Genma. The Jonin watchman yawned lazily and plunked his feet on the desk of the guardhouse that stood sturdily by the main entrance to Konoha. His comrade Raidou leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head and chuckled.

"Ah Genma. Is that the fifteenth or sixteenth time you've said that today? I'm beginning to lose count."

Genma sighed a big sigh. "I lost count too. It's just annoying that we had the bad luck to get these watchman shifts during all this nice weather. Why can't we get the daytime watch shifts on the humid days when it is too hot and sticky to move?"

"I don't know Genma. Why don't you go tell the Hokage when exactly you'd like to do the watch shifts?" Raidou smirked and glanced at Genma, who rolled his eyes and muttered "baka" under his breath, not bothering to answer that stupid question.

Raidou started to chuckle but suddenly sat up straight, head turning quickly to stare out down the path exiting Konoha. Genma raised an eyebrow. "Do you see someone?" Raidou narrowed his sharp eyes.

"Yes, two figures are coming this way, one of them is running." Genma frowned and stood, leaning over the desk to get a better look. Raidou's unnaturally sharp vision could spot travelers when they still looked like two ants in the distance. Nevertheless, Genma quickly noticed one figure appearing rapidly in the distance, obviously running directly towards the entrance. Genma walked around the desk and peered down the path visitor. Something about him looked familiar...

"Hey... does that kind of look like..." he began, but was cut off by a noisy shout.

"Oiiiiiiii, GENMA!" The running figure put up a hand to wave. Genma tilted his head and stared at the newcomer coming into view. It was a young man, with blond hair, wearing a head protector with the Konoha Leaf symbol and a black and orange jumpsuit. Genma squinted, and then his eyes widened in surprise.

"It couldn't really be him, could it...?" He said softly to himself. Raidou walked to stand next to him, a grin slowly spreading on his face.

"Yup, I think it could!"

The youth finally approached and skidded to a stop in front of them. He was tall, about 6'1", with a lean build and broad shoulders. Birthmarks that looked whisker marks adorned his cheekbones. A huge goofy grin was plastered on his face, which was noticeably chiseled into a more masculine appearance. He pointed at his chest with a thumb.

"It's me! Uzumaki Naruto! Wow it is great to see you guys. I'm finally back from training!" The boy grinned. The watchmen stared at him in awe.

"Wow, Naruto! I honestly didn't even recognize you for a moment! I see you've finally hit a few growth spurts while you were away." Genma laughed, smiling at the man-boy that was now eye level with him.

Naruto chuckled and put a hand behind his head. "Hehe, yeah, the Pervy Sage forced me to eat more vegetables while we were traveling, and I guess he ended up being right about my diet helping my growth." Genma and Raidou looked behind Naruto at the sound of approaching footsteps. They nodded respectfully to the older man with long spiky white hair walking up next to Naruto.

"Naruto, now that we are back in Konoha, you REALLY have to stop calling me that, or else!" Jiraiya, also known as one of the Legendary Sannin, growled menacingly at the grinning boy. Naruto just laughed.

"Sure thing Pervy Sage!" Jiraiya sighed and gritted his teeth. Genma and Raidou sweat dropped at the boy's disrespectful talk towards the legendary Shinobi.

 _I guess even though Naruto is older physically, mentally he is still a pre-teen twerp_ , Genma thought, shaking his head.

Naruto turned to look down the path leading to the village. "Alright! I can't wait to see Sakura-chan, and eat Ichiraku Ramen, and see Shikamaru, and Lee, and Chouji, and eat ramen, and talk to Sakura-chan, and see my ROOM, and have a shower, and OH YEAH eat ramen!" He rambled excitedly. He made to start running off, but cringed when Jiraiya barked "No!" He turned to him with a pouty face.

"Awww, why not?"

"I already told you this. We need to go first to Tsunade and report that we have returned. I also need to talk to her about some things." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I don't want to see Tsunade baa-chan! I'm tired and hungry and I want to see Sa-" Jiraiya clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth.

"We are going to Tsunade and that is final." He said over Naruto's muffled protests. "Afterwards I will take you to Ichiraku, ok?" Naruto stopped struggling and grinned from behind Jiraiya's hand.

"Alright! It worked! Now I'm getting free ramen!" He giggled mischievously. Jiraiya looked up and the sky and groaned. He turned to Genma and Raidou who were still chuckling.

"We are going to head in to the Hokage. Please make a note that we checked in today." Genma and Raidou nodded.

"Hai! It is good to see you both back and safe." smiled Raidou. Jiraiya smiled and nodded. He turned to tell Naruto to start walking, but saw the boy was already sprinting full speed towards town.

"Come on old man! I'll beat you to her office!" Naruto laughed as he sped away. Jiraiya sighed again.

"I honestly can't believe I spent three years with this kid!"

* * *

The Fifth Hokage groaned as she lifted yet another pile of new reports that she had yet to review. The beautiful weather was not helping the fact that she was extremely bored and yet had to plow through piles of paperwork that seemingly never depleted. Honestly she rather sit by the guardhouse and watch for visitors or enemies. At least those guys got to spend time outside! She wondered how stupid she would look if she asked her watchmen to trade places with her for a couple of hours...

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a commotion outside her door. She heard her Jonin guards cry out in alarm.

"Hey you! You can't just run in there!"

Her door banged open and a black and orange blur shot past the entryway. Tsunade sat up in shock. Those clothes, that hair, those electric blue eyes...

"Tsunade baa-chan! How are you?" An adolescent version of Uzumaki Naruto stood before her with his hands on his hips, grinning widely. She blinked at him, unable to speak.

"Oy, old lady, did you hear me?" Tsunade's eye twitched. Yes, it had to be him. Only he would be so bold to call her that.

She stood up slowly and smirked, her eyes looking at him up and down as she came around her desk, assessing him with a clinical eye. Naruto's brows furrowed as she circled him.

"Oi, what is wrong with you? Stop staring at me like that!" He said a little nervously, crossing his arms self-consciously under her hawk eye. Tsunade laughed softly, in the blink of an eye yanking Naruto by the neck into a tight headlock. She rubbed the top of his head vigorously with her fist. Naruto gasped out when she grabbed him and cried out in protest as she nougied him a little too roughly.

"Ah, so you finally dared to return! I see you have grown into quite the young man. I take it that you are big and strong and ready to take my job as Hokage?" Naruto growled as she teased him.

"Ugh, let go of me! You are messing up my hair!" He whined. Tsunade laughed and let go of him, allowing Naruto to immediately rub his neck while he eyed her reproachfully.

"I was wondering when the two of you would get back. It has been a long time. I was actually starting to miss your noisy obnoxious self." She smiled at him and nodded approvingly at his appearance. She noticed he was still wearing the First Hokage's pendant that she had given him so long ago after he won her bet. Where had the time gone? Her smile became softer as she looked at him fondly. She had been speaking the truth when she said she missed him.

"Ah, Tsunade, I see the two of you have reunited already." A deeper voice appeared from behind her. Her smile turned back into a smirk.

"Jiraiya." She nodded at him in greeting, looking at her Sannin comrade. He bowed to her with a wry smile of his own.

"It is good to see you both." She said. "Come and take a seat. I'm sure you are weary from your journey back."

Jiraiya hummed in thanks and took a seat, waving a hand to Naruto to get him to join. He sighed.

"After this, ramen, right?" He pestered. Jiraiya ignored him.

Tsunade perched on the windowsill behind her chair. "So, Naruto, how has your training been? I hope you have made good progress. I have been looking forward to getting you back to do some missions for me."

Naruto smiled. "Training was great, with the exception of when Pervy Sage would abandon me to go on his fake "reconnaissance" missions to get material for his perverted books." Jiraiya glared at him, and Tsunade raised an exasperated eyebrow at the male Sannin.

"Shut it boy. As you know, I did collect quite a bit of pertinent information that the Hokage would be interested in hearing. On the subject of Naruto's training, he has definitely grown in strength since you last saw him Tsunade, thanks to my own skill as a sensei." Jiraiya made a smug look. Naruto muttered something under his breath about "practically trained myself", but Jiraiya continued to fill Tsunade in on the highlights of their trip. Naruto sighed and tuned out of the conversation. He looked outside the window and gazed at the familiar rooftops and the Hokage monument farther off. He felt excitement bubble deep in his stomach at the thought of seeing how everyone was, and how much stronger they had gotten since the last time he saw them. He couldn't wait to see how he stacked up, he thought with glee.

* * *

Konohamaru bent his knees slightly and tried to slow his labored breathing. He strained his ears to pick up the faint sounds around him, the rustle of the trees in the wind, a bird chirping somewhere to his left, and... a rhythmic whirling sound to his right?

He launched himself in the air at the last moment to avoid the blunted shiruken that whistled past a fraction of a second after he jumped. He heard the metal like clink it made when it hit the tree behind him. He landed in a low crouch. Two more whirling sounds came at him from the left, causing him to cartwheel away rapidly. He braced his back against another tree and stilled himself, quickly wiping the sweat away from his forehead. His hand brushed the blindfold that blocked his vision. He had to keep advancing forward...

Konohamaru stepped gingerly away from his safe place and kept moving north, praying that he hadn't lost his sense of direction. According to his calculations, he should still be in that patch of soft grass that should muffle his footsteps. He padded noiselessly forward, ears pricked, waiting for the slightest sound.

Snap! He winced as he stepped squarely on a twig. Immediately more whirling sounds appeared and he shifted from side to side to attempt to avoid them, but he failed to hear one coming head on until it was too late. He grunted as the shiruken clanged into his goggles.

"Stop! That's enough." Called a clear, high pitched voice. Konohamaru sighed and sank to the ground, yanking off his blindfold. He squinted in the bright sunlight as he saw his teammates running towards him.

"Hah! I told you I would get you, Konohamaru-kun!" sang Moegi in a victorious voice. Udon ran up behind her, wiping his constantly runny nose. "Yeah, Konohamaru-kun, she got you right in the head, hehe!" Konohamaru groaned.

"Yeah yeah Moegi, you were lucky this time ok? Next time you won't even touch me!" he said in irritation.

"Konohamaru-kun, since you lost this round, you have to go collect the shirukens that went over the fence." called the same voice that was soft yet firm at the same time. Konohamaru looked up and blushed, scrambling to his feet.

"H-hai, sensei!" he said hurriedly. Moegi rolled her eyes while Udon looked at him weirdly. Konohamaru ignored them and ran to the wooden fence, jumping nimbly to clear the top just enough to reach the street outside.

* * *

Naruto and Jiraiya decided to take the scenic route on the way to Ichiraku Ramen so that Naruto could get a good look around at his hometown.

"Wow, everything looks the same and yet isn't the same. The streets are still busy, but some of the shops have changed. That jewelry store wasn't there last time! And what happened to the big fish market?" Naruto chattered away while Jiraiya was deep in thought, thinking about his talk with Tsunade.

"And hey, here is the old Academy! It definitely hasn't changed." Naruto paused by the main gate to his old school, smiling up at the building where Iruka-sensei was probably teaching the next generation of rising- Genin shinobi.

Before he had time to be nostalgic, he heard someone land a few feet away from him. He turned and cocked his head, looking at the boy that appeared in front of him and was busy picking up some training shirukens off the ground. He spotted goggles wrapped around the boy's head that looked all too much like the ones he used to wear before he became a Genin.

"Is that you, Konohamaru?"

The boy straightened up quickly and whipped around when he heard his name. He stared at Naruto with wide eyes and slightly open mouth.

"I know you..." Konohamaru said slowly, looking at the tall blond in front of him. Naruto laughed.

"Come on Konohamaru, has it really been that long? You can't say you don't recognize your longtime rival." Naruto said smiling down at the younger boy. Konohamaru gawked at him, and then his face quickly brightened.

"Naruto! Just as I expect of my longtime rival, you just decide to show up here unannounced! The nerve of you!" Konohamaru shouted with bravado, running up to get a closer look at his rival and role model. He looked amazedly at Naruto's grown up appearance, taking in his tall physique and noting the fluid nature of his movements as he walked closer to greet him. He then added a bit hesitantly, suddenly feeling shy, "Are you staying, or are you just here for a little while?" he said in a low voice.

Naruto grinned at his apprentice. "Yup, I'm here to stay! Well, at least while Tsunade baa-chan doesn't have any missions for me. I'm glad to see you, Konohamaru! Have you learned any new jutsus while I've been gone? I bet you are super strong now!" Naruto said with a wicked grin.

Konohamaru returned his grin with an equally mischievous smirk and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Yes, I have learned many new jutsus. You'll be especially keen to know a new one that I recently added to my arsenal...a Sexy Jutsu that will put yours to shame!"

Konohamaru began to make some hand seals when a voice from behind the academy fence rang out.

"Konohamaru? Are you almost finished?" Naruto looked up in the direction the voice came from with a quizzical look. That voice sounded somewhat familiar...

Konohamaru froze and looked sheepishly at the fence.

"Ahh, hehe, maybe I will show you next time, Naruto! I have to go finish my lesson." Konohamaru scratched his head apologetically. "I will see you later, right?"

Naruto nodded reassuringly. "Sure Konohamaru! You will see me around." Konohamaru grinned happily and waved, grabbing the shurikens off the ground before leaping back over the fence. Naruto had half a mind to take a peek over the fence to see to whom that familiar voice belonged, but as if on cue his stomach rumbled loudly and he remembered where his second stop in Konoha was supposed to be.

"Hurry up Naruto! Otherwise I take back my offer to treat you to ramen!" Jiraiya called lazily, already crossing the street towards Ichiraku. Naruto gasped and bolted after him - he would hate himself if he lost his free ramen opportunity!

Konohamaru raced back to his teammates.

"You guys, you won't believe who I saw!" Moegi and Udon turned to look at him quizzically.

"Uzumaki Naruto is back!"

A small gasp was heard behind his teammates. He looked over to see his sensei who became so still she looked like a mannequin. Her long blueish hair that reached all the way to her lower back waved in the slow summer wind as she looked off at nowhere in particular, her unusual pupil-less eyes that looked like lavender pearls taking on a glazed look. She clutched the bag of training kunai and shiruken to her chest.

"Hinata-sensei... are you ok?" Konohamaru worriedly asked his young sensei, who has never had such a look on her face before. Hinata's eyes widened as she came back to Earth, and she shook her head quickly and turned back to her students, smiling shakily.

"Y-yes, Konohamaru-kun, I am fine, thank you. Let's head b-back inside now for the next lesson." Konohamaru looked at her strangely, wondering since when his beautiful, clear headed sensei had a stutter.

"Hai!" The young shinobi squad chorused before they ran back to the classroom.

Hinata hung back, still taking in Konohamaru's statement.

"Uzumaki Naruto is back!"

Hinata silently cursed as a pack of butterflies erupted in her stomach and her knees became shaky. _Damn it!_ She thought in despair. _How does he still make me feel like this? It has been three years...I wonder what he looks like now..._

She sighed, mentally shaking herself to wake up. She couldn't be having such thoughts while she was working! She straightened and strode towards the classroom with purpose. But for the rest of the afternoon, she knew her brain was on autopilot while her subconscious fretted about the moment when she would finally see HIM again...


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER TWO – REUNION**

Naruto slurped noisily, making delighted hums as he practically inhaled his third bowl of miso ramen. Jiraiya glanced over at him in slight disgust. He wondered if he needed to find a support group that would address Naruto's obsessive love for ramen.

Naruto gave a loud burp and sighed contentedly, pushing his empty bowl away.

"Ahhh. Thank you Teuchi and Ayame! Now that I've had your ramen I finally feel like I'm really home! Now that I've traveled for so long, I truly can say that your ramen is the best in the world!" He said happily to the two Ichiraku restaurant owners who smiled back at their number one best customer.

"Of course Naruto! We really did miss having you here. Ichiraku, and Konoha in general, have been very uneventful while you've been away." said Ayame cheerily as she cleared Naruto's stack of dishes. Naruto smiled and rested his head in his hand, his eyes taking on a faraway look. Ayame looked at him curiously. "What's wrong Naruto?"

Naruto jerked his head up slightly, and then rested it back on his hand with a small, bittersweet smile.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about what has happened since I've been away. I bet everyone has been training to get stronger, and I am sure a lot of them retook the Chuunin exams and became Chuunins." He explained in a contemplative tone. "I was hoping that by now I would be a Chuunin too, but I'm still just a Genin. I wonder how I'm going to stack up to everyone else."

Jiraiya turned and looked at his apprentice.

"It may be true that you are a Genin. But don't forget all the progress that we've made while we were away. By now I'd say you are basically at Chuunin level. Just because you don't have the title doesn't mean you are lesser than." Jiraiya commented. Naruto looked at him out of the corner of his eye and slowly sat up straighter.

"I guess so..." Naruto said in a low tone, felling a little better. "I still want to take the Chuunin exam when it comes up later. I don't want to be behind anyone else. And how else will I become Hokage if I don't make it up through the ranks?"

Jiraiya sipped his tea. "Well of course you should still take the exam. You are more than ready. But right now you need to focus on supporting the village by helping on missions. The village is a bit short handed right now and needs every shinobi they have to contribute. I also can't stick around to train you for the Chuunin exams right now. I'll be heading out tomorrow morning to visit a few neighboring villages."

Naruto whipped his head at his sensei. "What?! Then who will be training me?" Jiraiya looked at him shrewdly.

"Naruto, you are basically at Chuunin level. You do not need guided training so much anymore. You know more than enough to be able to train yourself. The missions will be good training to help with your teamwork and leadership skills, which we haven't really worked on while we've been away. You need these qualities to be Hokage too." Naruto frowned at him and looked away.

"Fine." He grumbled. "So I guess I'll have to join a new team then? I remember Sakura-chan started to study medicine when I left. I wonder if she still goes on missions."

"Yes, I still go on missions, for your information!" came a slightly peeved feminine voice from behind him. Naruto swiveled around in his seat, grinning as he already knew who that voice belonged to.

"Sakura-chan! Boy is it great to see you!"

Naruto jumped off his seat and walked up to the pink haired teen standing outside of Ichiraku's. She wore a red medic-nin uniform, her forehead protector tied to work as a headband. Her green eyes sparkled as she looked at her old teammate and friend.

"Hey Naruto! I had gone to Tsunade's office just a while ago and she told me that you just got back! I knew I'd find you here. It looks like you've changed a bit huh? You are taller!" she said as she realized she had to tilt her head quite a bit to make eye contact with this person who professed to be her short, obnoxious, unpredictable teammate from years back. When did Naruto turn into a man? Naruto grinned and placed his hands on his hips proudly.

"Yep! I'm sorry I've been gone so long. You also look like you've changed too!" Sakura blushed slightly as she waited for Naruto to compliment her. "Your arms look more muscular. Hey you've been working under Tsunade baa-chan right? That probably explains that then." Sakura stared at him blankly and then ground her teeth as she balled her hands into tight fists.

"Naruto... it's been three years and all you say is that my arms look more muscular?!" Sakura said between clenched teeth, slowly raising a fist towards Naruto's face. Naruto balked and started inching away.

"Ahh... Sakura-chan, don't take that the wrong way! I meant it in a good way, like you look like you've gotten stronger, and-" he didn't get time to finish as Sakura's fist connected with Naruto's jaw and hit him with superhuman force. Naruto turned into a human projectile and sailed straight through a wooden fence across the street. Jiraiya stared at the scene with wide eyes, looking warily at Sakura.

 _Tsunade definitely chose the right person to be her apprentice, she is like a mini Tsunade!_ He slowly turned back around in his chair, hoping she wouldn't notice him.

A long groan emanated from the Naruto-shaped hole in the wooden fence.

"Saku...ra...chan..." Sakura took a deep breath and calmed herself Naruto may have gotten older but he was still a moron!

Naruto pulled himself back through the fence and dusted himself off. He winced as he gingerly felt a large lump growing on his head, and his jaw was throbbing.

"Jeez Sakura-chan. I just get back and already you are beating me up?" He complained, rubbing his jaw, which was already beginning to heal. Sakura humphed and looked away stubbornly.

"Well if you weren't so idiotic I wouldn't have to!" She retorted. She looked back at him and watched as he painstakingly made his way back to her. "Anyways, although I'm still learning medicine, I still go out on missions to provide my medic nin skills in case my teammates get hurt. I have one more year of studying left until I officially have the doctor title."

"Ohh, I see! Who is on your team?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Neji, Tenten, and this new guy named Sai. Neji is a Jonin now so he usually leads. Sometimes depending on the mission Shino or Shikamaru will join to lend us their skill sets. And how about you? Did Tsunade give you a new team already? I asked her if the two of us would be working together again but she said it would be arranged based on village need."

Naruto shook his head. "No, she hasn't made a decision yet. But don't worry, I'll got back to Tsunade baa-chan tomorrow and make her let me join your team! I don't know who that Sai guy is but he'll just have to work with someone else!" he grinned, satisfied with his plan of action. Sakura chuckled.

"I think you'll actually like Sai, he uses some pretty interesting jutsus." she smiled. Naruto narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Humph! You only say that because you haven't seen any of my new jutsus yet! Naruto smirked and flexed an arm for show. Sakura rolled her eyes but still smiled.

"I'm sure you have lots of great jutsus now Naruto. Anyways, I have to head back home, it is my mom's birthday today and we are going out for dinner. But I'll see you tomorrow right?" Naruto stopped admiring his flexed bicep and nodded back to her.

"Yeah! I'll definitely come find you tomorrow Sakura-chan!" He said good-naturedly. Sakura smiled and nodded, turning slightly to wave at the Legendary Sannin trying in vain to hide behind the privacy cloths of Ichiraku.

"Good evening, Jiraiya-sama" Jiraiya made an unmanly squeak and turned around shakily to weakly wave back. He let out a deep breath when Sakura turned and continued walking in the direction of her home.

"Phew! I swear that girl almost scares me more than Tsunade..." he muttered. Naruto raised an eyebrow at his perverted sensei.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto climbed into his bed for the first time in three years and sighed, reveling in the overwhelming contentment that comes with finally feeling at home after constantly being on the go. But instead of knocking out, he stared up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling restless. He looked over to his chest of drawers where his photo of him, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke sat. He looked at the obsidian orbs of Sasuke's eyes that looked boredly at the camera. Where could Sasuke be at this moment? And how strong has he gotten under Orochimaru?  
Naruto shook his head. He can't start feeling negative now. He was finally back from training, and he can focus on finding Sasuke and bringing him back to Konoha. There was no other option. _I made a promise_ , he thought, his eyelids sliding slowly down as he finally felt himself drifting off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hinata coughed delicately as some of the chalk dust from the erasers Konohamaru was clapping by the window drifted by her desk. She looked over at him in amusement as he enthusiastically tried to shake every last particle of dust from the old erasers.

"Konohamaru-kun, I think that is good enough." she suggested. Konohamaru stopped and turned back at her sheepishly, blushing lightly.

"Ahh, sorry sensei, I guess I got a little too into it!" he said with a nervous grin. Hinata smiled back at him. "It's ok Konohamaru. You can put them down by the chalkboard and head home now if you'd like." Konohamaru gaped at her beautiful smiling face, illuminated by the mid-afternoon sun that was shining outside the window. They had been blessed with great weather yet again today. Konohamaru shook his head from side to side when he saw his sensei peer at him with a slightly concerned look when she saw him rooted to his spot.

"Hai, sensei!" he shouted, wincing at his unnecessarily loud voice. Hinata looked at him in surprise, and then smiled again as he ran back to the chalkboard and stacked the erasers on the small wooden ledge that also held the chalk.

"Are you going to leave now too sensei?" Konohamaru asked, looking at Hinata's desk that was covered in student test papers.

"Not just yet, I need to finish grading these exams. Thank you again for helping me clean up Konohamaru-kun." She said cheerfully. Konohamaru grinned happily and bowed low.

"You're welcome, Hinata-sensei! I'll see you tomorrow!" he said, grabbing his bag and jogging backwards out of the door. Hinata giggled at his antics. She knew that Konohamaru had a little boy's crush on her and would do anything she asked. It was probably why Iruka-sensei asked her to assist with this class, since Konohamaru had become quite the rambunctious youngster ever since Naruto had left on his journey. She remembered him saying that he had to take the place of the class clown since his "long-time rival" was no longer there to own that title. Hinata has been the only sensei since then who has been able to control Konohamaru, and thus the Academy begged her to stay as a teaching assistant after her initial internship a year ago. Of course Hinata didn't mind. She couldn't wait to start working at the Academy ever since she realized she loved teaching. She looked down at the stack of exams she still had to grade. Others would sigh in boredom, but she even loved grading papers and writing words of encouragement or constructive feedback in the margins. Her students had been consistently scoring high marks throughout the year due to her creative teaching methods and her commitment to not leave any child behind. She remembered the lack of support certain disadvantaged kids were subjected to when she was at the Academy, a certain blond ninja coming to mind, and she knew that each child had a different learning style and different hidden talents. She enjoyed learning about each of her students and crafting special lesson plans just to address each of their specific needs.

Thinking about her own Academy days brought her straight back to thinking about Uzumaki Naruto for the millionth time that day. She had managed not to run into him on her way to the Academy that morning, and didn't see him while she was out in the yard with the students. So maybe she won't see him on her way home either? She didn't know why she was terrified of seeing him, when she equally was dying to hear his voice say

"Hey, Hinata!"

Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin, her jerky movement making her knock over the stack of exams all over the floor. She turned slowly to the doorway. It couldn't be... it couldn't be...

A man in a black and orange jumpsuit stood before her looking down at the scattered test papers and bending smoothly to start picking them up. He looked up at her and grinned in apology as he picked up the documents. She drew a sharp intake of breath as he seemed to move in slow motion, slowly standing back up trying to arrange the papers back into a neat stack. His eyes were still that piercing azure color, but he had gotten taller, his broad chested frame indicating expansive muscles now sculpted his body. She saw a grace and underlying power in his movements that bespoke the years of training that he recently undergone with the legendary Sannin shinobi. His face was more angular, showing that he had traded all the remaining babyness he had three years ago for a more mature visage. He hefted the recovered papers back onto her desk.

"Ahh hehe, sorry about that Hinata, I didn't mean to frighten you." His voice had deepened, but still had the wiliness and honest friendliness that she knew so well. She looked up at him, still sitting in her chair, unable to speak.

At that moment, Iruka-sensei walked through the door.

"Ah Naruto, looks like you found Hinata-sensei already." He smiled at the two of them. Naruto blinked. Hinata... sensei? He looked back down at her. She still had a red marker in her hand, she obviously had been grading the papers he had just picked up.

"Hinata-sensei? So you are a teacher now?" Naruto asked her. Hinata finally snapped out of her trance and mentally smacked herself. What was she doing!?

"H-hai," she began, biting her lip hard to push away her stutter. She was too old for this! "I started teaching last year, I am Iruka-sensei's assistant." she said in a clear voice.

Naruto looked at her for a moment and then smiled. "Ohh, that makes sense then! Are you teaching Konohamaru? I think I heard you call him yesterday when I ran into him by the Academy training field." Hinata nodded.

"Yes, I work with Konohamaru-kun's class. And you, Naruto? How have you been?" _This was good_ , she thought excitedly, _I don't even feel myself fainting!_

Naruto smiled widely, and Hinata felt her blush grow and a slight dizziness overtake her, and she cursed inwardly. She may have spoke too soon!

"I've been great, I'm finally back from my trip with the Pervy Sage. I'm planning to start doing some missions again, but I'm still going to continue my search for Sasuke." He said automatically, and continued to give his introductory speech for the fifteenth time that day, having given it to everyone who he ran into including Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, and Lee. He had been on his way to the grocery store to get things to restock his fridge, when he ran into Iruka sensei by the Academy entrance. Iruka happily accepted his request to give him a tour around the Academy for old times' sake while they caught up. He saw Konohamaru run out the Academy and wondered why he was still at school when class was obviously over for the day. Iruka said that he often stayed back to help his sensei clean up. Naruto wondered who had been able to tame Konohamaru, who was frighteningly acting much like he had all those years back.

He finished his speech and Hinata nodded. "It is nice to have you back, Naruto-kun." She said softly, a blush still dusting her cheeks, but her voice still didn't waver. Naruto nodded in agreement and scratched his head with one hand. "It's good to be back!" He paused as he looked her over. Hinata used to have really short hair, but since he had been gone her hair now fell in an indigo waterfall almost down to her hips. Gone was the bulky jacket she used to wear. She now wore a sleeveless grey-lavender shinobi tunic that was secured by a wide mauve belt around her waist. She wore dark indigo shorts and sheer thigh high leg warmers, and finally knee high open toed ninja boots and a kunai pouch tied to her right thigh. He wanted to compliment her about her hair, but quickly stopped himself as he remembered Sakura's reaction to his "compliment" from yesterday. _I don't seem to have the best luck with compliments,_ he thought hastily, _better not get Hinata mad at me too!_

"Well, I don't want to bother you if you are busy working. Hopefully I'll be seeing you around more now!" he said to her. Hinata looked at him in surprise, and nodded shyly.

"Yes, hopefully we will." she agreed, looking down at the red marker in her slender hands. Naruto and Iruka-sensei waved and walked out of the classroom, closing the door behind them. Hinata sat there still as a statue, a lump growing in her throat, her hands gripping her red marker. She just saw Naruto! And they talked! And she didn't faint this time! And he looks so... so... she blushed furiously and took a deep breath, a new swarm of butterflies threatening to explode out of her torso. She always had been attracted to Naruto, but now seeing his grown up look that screamed of masculinity imbued her with a new giddiness that consumed her. He looked so GOOD! She looked down at herself and sighed. She wished she had been wearing something nicer and not her plain sensei clothing. Her sense of style had changed over the years as she slowly got less self-conscious with her body. She had been embarrassed about the curves appearing all over her teenage body, but when Sakura and Ino told her they envied her womanly figure, she finally tried to start experimenting with fashion. Since the weekend had come, maybe she could wear a nice sundress in case Naruto saw her again. She turned back to her exams with a renewed sense of purpose. She had to finish so that she could get home!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER THREE – CLASS IS IN SESSION**

Naruto soon settled back into a rhythm as he got used to life in Konoha again. To his frustration he wasn't able to persuade the Hokage to let him join Sakura's team just to be with her. He thought he would be able to use his special sibling like relationship with Tsunade to get her to give in, but readily gave up after she picked him up off the floor with one hand wrapped around his neck after she lost patience with his arguing. He rubbed his neck as he grimaced at the memory, grumbling as he thought of Tsunade citing his mission assignments dependency on "village need", meaning his team would change based on where he was needed most. In the last two weeks since he's been back, he had done two short C rank missions that took him out of the village for three nights each. They had both been successful, and he smirked as he remembered his teammates amazed faces as he downed an enemy with one blow of his improved Rasengan. At least he better make sure his missions go well so Tsunade baa-chan doesn't have a reason to refuse him from doing a B or A rank mission.

Two and a half weeks after he returned, Naruto had a free day and decided to go for a walk. Perhaps he would see if Sakura was available to go on a date with him!

Naruto decided to take a shortcut to the hospital and leapt up onto the roof of a building. He jumped easily from rooftop to rooftop, enjoying the wind in his hair as a nice respite from the late July heat.

He stopped in a tall tree when he heard the sound of fighting to his right. Looking down, he saw that he was right by the Academy training field. A group of students were running around throwing shirukens at a woman standing in the center of the field, a blindfold covering her sight. Naruto frowned and jumped to another tree that would give him a better look.

He raised his eyebrows when he saw that the blindfolded woman was Hinata. She was crouched low, turning her head sharply from side to side. He noticed that the field was totally silent, save the occasional chirping bird. He saw students camped in various parts of the field, eyes zeroed in on their sensei who was inching closer and closer to a flag anchored into the ground about twenty feet in front of her. All of a sudden, a trio of kids quietly appeared from behind a tree and flung a handful of shirukens at Hinata. Hinata immediately performed a series of backflips, easily avoiding the training weapons. Another young girl threw a kunai at her sensei's back, but Hinata smoothly side stepped away and then launched into a sprint towards the flag planted in the ground. More shirukens and kunai hurtled towards her, but Hinata gracefully ducked and twirled away from each attack, each second getting closer to her goal. She skidded to a stop and snatched the flag from the ground and paused, seeming to deliberate her next move. Naruto watched Konohamaru give a few hand signals to his peers, and they quietly went into a new formation as their sensei tilted her head, listening for their movements.

Hinata smiled. They were getting better. She knew what she had to do next, and she was pretty sure she could pinpoint her students' locations to her right, but she wasn't entirely sure of where they were positioned on her left. She cautiously took a few steps forward and pricked her ears up. She then heard motion rapidly moving directly towards her, but instead of doubling back she leaned forward into a run.

Naruto's eyes widened. What was she doing? The students coming at her were going to hit her head on if she kept going that way! His thoughts were cut short as Hinata dropped suddenly and slid straight under the three blunted kunai that had been sailing towards her chest. She then fluidly rose back to her feet and continued to charge the three students who had thrown the kunai, who's eyes widened in shock. They cringed as Hinata leapfrogged neatly over them, flipping in the air and landing only to keep sprinting to her goal. Two more students dove at her from both sides with more kunai, but she ducked once again and the children yelled in surprise as their target disappeared, causing them to slam into each other. She was almost at the other end of the field, where the fence was marked with a blue poster, when Konohamaru slid in front of her and charged her. He swung his leg out in a low sweep to try and trip her, but she jumped over his leg and tumbled to the side. Konohamaru tried to strike her with his fist, which she blocked and parried away with her forearm. They exchanged a flurry of blows. Naruto watched on in awe, leaning dangerously far from his seat in the tree. Hinata has been blindfolded this whole time, yet she hasn't been harmed once by the twenty students or the dozens of weapons that they threw at her in vain. He couldn't remember ever doing such a training exercise like the one they were doing. It almost looked like they were playing a game...

Hinata suddenly feinted to the left and danced around Konohamaru, who had gotten confused by her sudden movement. He swung around and tried to strike her with a high kick, but she caught his ankle squarely in her hand and twisted, causing him to flip in the air with a grunt and fall flat on his stomach. Moegi and Udon raced to Hinata, but in a couple steps she raised her arm out and touched the fence with the blue marker. A collective groan rang out, sounding almost deafening after the silence that had pervaded before.

"Konohamaru, how did you let sensei beat you again?" cried one boy. Konohamaru jumped to his feet. "Shut up! I almost had her that time. At least it took her longer to get to home base!" he yelled back.

Hinata pulled off her blindfold and looked around at the panting students around her. She checked her watch on her left wrist.

"Yes, I have to say, your strategy was much more well thought out this round. It took me six seconds longer to hit home this time!" She smiled at the group. Moegi looked up at her from her sprawled out position on the ground.

"Hinata-sensei, how do you DO that? It's just not fair. You are literally impossible to catch!" Hinata looked down at her and grinned. In his tree, Naruto looked at her wonderingly. He had never seen Hinata with such a big smile!

"Ah Moegi, you know that's not true! You all have progressed amazingly since last week. Do you all remember how our first game went?" The class looked at each other and giggled. The first time, their sensei had put them all to shame. That was before she showed them the basics of attack and defense strategy. Moegi smiled and nodded. Hinata smiled back. She clapped her hands once.

"Alright! Class is over for the day." The students moaned again in disappointment. Hinata laughed, its twinkling melodic sound drifting over to Naruto from across the field. Again Naruto stared at Hinata. He couldn't ever remember hearing her laugh. Shy, quiet, weird Hinata! Where did this lighthearted, laughing girl come from?

"I'm sorry everyone. Excellent job though! I will see you all tomorrow. Please first collect the shiruken and kunai around you and place them into the bins over here by me." The kids scrambled to their feet and ran around to pick up their practice weapons, chatting animatedly. Hinata also bent down around her to collect some of the weapons. As the class began to file into the building, Hinata sat on a tree stump and began to make some notes on a small notepad.

Naruto finally realized he was still leaning forward in his tree and straightened up quickly, nearly losing his balance. Forgetting his initial destination, he jumped down over the Academy fence and began to jog over to Hinata.

Hinata's head snapped up at the sound of approaching footsteps, her heart slamming into her throat when she realized who it was.

"Hinata! Hey! That was AMAZING!" Naruto yelled out, skidding to a stop in front of her.

"That training exercise was so cool! And I couldn't believe how you did all that blindfolded, I would have never been able to avoid all of those attacks like that!" Hinata stared at him with wide eyes, watching him wave his arms around in excitement. She giggled softly.

"Thank you Naruto-kun. Have you been watching this whole time?" she asked. Naruto stopped waving around and chuckled. "Well, I had been on my way somewhere else and I happened to pass by right as you were in the middle of it, but I just had to stop and watch til the end. I don't remember ever doing this kind of exercise at the Academy. What is it for?"

Hinata blushed at his enthusiasm. "Well, you may not remember it because we didn't do it back then when we were students here. I actually made up this exercise when I realized I needed a better way to teach my students how to strategize. It also simultaneously helps them practice their listening skills." She held up the blindfold. "Usually I split the class in half and blindfold one group while the others try to defend the flag, but today I wanted to demonstrate some techniques for them, so I blindfolded myself and had them try to get me." She smiled. "I call it "Capture the Flag". Naruto listened attentively.

"Wow, so you made the lesson into a training game. That's so cool! That's actually a great idea. I hated having to sit in class all day listening to Iruka-sensei's boring lectures. They were also hard to understand!" Hinata nodded.

"Right. I have a lot of hands-on learners in my class. They learn best by doing, not by reading it or listening to someone explain it to them. So doing games like this has been the best way to make sure everyone understands."

Hinata bent down to stack the bins of weapons on top of each other. Naruto immediately stooped down with her.

"Here, let me help you with that, you must be tired from being on your feet all day." Hinata looked at him, her mouth slightly parted as she noted how close he was as they both bent over the bins. She quickly recovered and smiled.

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that." Naruto grinned, thankful that she wasn't like Sakura who would have yelled at him for thinking she wasn't strong enough to pick up the bins herself. Hinata stood up and stepped back while Naruto hoisted the bins up with ease.

"Follow me, you can leave the bins in the supply room just inside." Naruto followed her to the open door leading to the school's interior. Just a few feet past the door was a large closet just as Hinata said there was. She held the door open for him while he set the two bins down in a corner.

"That should do it!" Naruto said, dusting his hands off. Hinata smiled and clasped her hands together, hyper aware of the fact that they were alone.

"Thank you for your help Naruto-kun." She said softly. Naruto turned back to reply when he made eye contact with Hinata and stopped. He stared at her huge eyes that seemed to have taken on a deeper shade of lavender in the darker hallway and that were framed by long indigo lashes.

"Naruto-kun...?" Hinata prompted, wondering why Naruto was suddenly so quiet. Naruto blinked and let go of a breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

"Ahem, um, yeah you're welcome, I'm happy to help." he said hurriedly. Hinata tilted her head at his blurted out response but then smiled again.

"Well, I won't keep you from whatever you were doing before you stopped by." Hinata offered, her voice warm like the summer wind. Naruto laughed softly.

"Oh yeah, that's true. I got so excited I forgot where I was going. I was actually going to see if Sakura-chan wanted to get a late lunch with me." he said, suddenly having an idea. "Would you like to come?" he asked. Hinata's eyes widened and a rosy blush once again graced the apples of her cheeks.

"Oh, thank you Naruto-kun, I would love to, but, I can't because I have to go prepare my lesson plan for tomorrow..." she said in a low voice, mentally smacking herself for having to be busy at a time like this. Naruto actually just asked her to hang out with him! Ok and with Sakura too, but it was something!

Naruto's smile faltered slightly at her decline, but he quickly said "Oh of course, sorry, I forgot that you are so busy. Well, maybe another time then!" Hinata looked up at him, butterflies rattling her ribcage.

"Yes, I'd like that!" she said breathlessly. Naruto grinned, and she clasped her hands harder, forcing down the dizzy feeling creeping into her skull.

"Great! Well, I'll see you later Hinata!" He waved before walking out the door and springing away. Hinata watched him leap from roof to roof, getting smaller and smaller.

"See you later..." she said quietly, one hand pressed against her chest in a weak attempt to settle her fluttering heart.

Naruto jumped from roof to tree to roof, chuckling as he thought of Hinata totally owning Konohamaru while blindfolded. She's definitely different now, he thought, thinking back to the Academy days and the time they both took the Chuunin exam. He was honestly disappointed that she turned down his offer for lunch. In the last two times he's seen Hinata he had exchanged more words with her than he's ever had before. He realized he truly didn't know anything about her. Except that she apparently was a badass even while blindfolded.

His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted Sakura standing outside the hospital with a few other medic nins.

"Heyyy Sakura-chan! Want to go on a date with me?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER FOUR – DINNER**

A few days after he saw Hinata teaching at the Academy, Naruto was forced to go to the grocery store to restock his already bare fridge and cupboards. Sakura had stopped by his apartment with him earlier that day and had chewed his ear off for living like a bachelor. He had argued that he WAS a bachelor, but his logic didn't really matter in Sakura's mind. He grudgingly agreed that he could do a little better to maintain his home. He supposed he had to start learning to do chores again after being a nomad for three years.

Naruto walked carefully through the ramen aisle of the grocery store, trying to balance a ridiculous number of instant ramen cups in his arms. He could barely see over the pile of cups as he walked towards the checkout area. At the end of the aisle, he turned sharply to the right...

... and ran straight into a woman, who cried out in shock as his ramen and her items scattered all over the floor. The woman fell backwards with a thud.

"I'm so sorry miss, I shouldn't have-" Naruto began quickly, when he stopped. That long blue hair...

"Hinata!" he cried in surprise, and swooped down to take her hands in his, gently pulling her to her feet. Hinata was blushing furiously.

"N-Naruto-kun!" she gasped. "I'm sorry, I should have been more careful-"

"No, don't apologize! It was totally my fault." interrupted Naruto. "Are you alright?" He looked her over. She was wearing her usual teaching uniform, a small backpack slung over her shoulder. A piece of hair was sticking out of place from her fall. Without even thinking, Naruto reached out and carefully tucked it back into placed. Hinata froze as he touched her, her blush reddening even deeper.

"Th-thank you... yes I'm okay." she said shakily, taking a quick breath to stabilize her nerves as she tried to overcome the fact that she had just ran smack into Naruto's chest - his rock hard chest.

Naruto had already bent again to pick up her items. He recognized them as travel rations. "Going somewhere?" he asked as he handed them back to her.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, I was asked to join a mission that leaves tomorrow morning." she said softly. Naruto raised his eyebrows.

"You still go on missions?" Hinata chuckled lightly.

"Not often ever since I started working full-time as a teacher. But every so often I'll get called to join a reconnaissance mission, because of my Byakugan abilities."

"I see... so where are you going?" he asked.

"Hm, not very far, just a couple of towns over about a few hours away from Konoha. I have to deliver a scroll." She responded, helping him gather his fallen ramen cups.

"Huh. Cool! Is it top secret? Who is going with you?" Naruto asked with his usual excitement. Hinata smiled. "Well, I suppose it is somewhat confidential. But it is only a C rank mission so I don't think it is that important. I'm going by myself." Naruto's smile faded at her last comment.

"By yourself? What's the deal? Where is your team?!" he pressed. Hinata shrugged. "The Hokage felt that I could do it alone. Kiba-kun and Shino-kun are still not back from their current mission and most other candidates are also not free. But I've done this before, the client is someone who I've worked with by myself not too long ago. So it isn't unfamiliar." she explained.

Naruto frowned, not convinced. "Well, I don't doubt you could get it done, Hinata. But things can go wrong even on simple missions." he said, thinking back to his first "C rank" mission with Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Sakura, which quickly turned A rank when they confronted Zabuza.

Hinata blinked at his words. _He's...concerned?_ "Oh, don't worry Naruto-kun. It's very routine." Hinata said quickly, a tiny smile growing on her face.

Naruto had half a mind to volunteer to go with her, but he didn't want her to think he thought she was incapable. Hinata was strong and independent, and he wasn't her dad! "Well alright I guess." he huffed. "Are you finished shopping?"

Hinata smiled and nodded. They headed to the checkout counter together and paid for their items.

Outside the store Naruto paused before parting ways with her.

"Hey, some of us are going to get dinner tonight. Me, Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, and Choji. Would you like to come? I know last time you weren't able to make lunch." he said. A blush graced Hinata's cheeks once more as she computed his words.

"Oh... yes! Yes I could come!" she said breathlessly. Naruto grinned. "Alright! We are meeting at Narita at 7 o'clock. Does that sound good?" Hinata nodded, struggling to suppress her own goofy grin.

Naruto held up a very Lee-like thumbs up. "Cool. Later!"

Hinata watched as Naruto jogged away, shaking her head with a smile as he pushed off to take a shortcut via rooftop. She turned to head home and got another case of the butterflies as she thought about the change in events. Dinner with Naruto! _And his friends_ , an inner voice reminded her. But she didn't care! She quickened her pace to hurry home - she had to find an outfit and fast!

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Later that evening around 6:30pm, Hinata was staring at herself critically in the mirror. After five outfit changes, she finally found something that was eye catching but casual enough to look like she wasn't trying too hard. Narita was nicer than Ichiraku, but it wasn't too fancy either. She had spent so much time on clothes however that she didn't get a chance to do anything to her hair. Leave it down? Or style it? She thought desperately as she frowned at her reflection in her bedroom mirror. She balked at the idea of wrestling with her ridiculously long hair to style it, and finally decided to just leave it as it was. She didn't want to be late!

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Naruto walked into the main entrance of Narita, the different sumptuous smells of food and acrid cigarettes enveloping him as he squinted through the crowded establishment to find his friends. After a few moments he saw a pink haired girl wave at him, and he smiled and waved back, pushing past the bar patrons to the seated area in the back.

"Oi, Naruto!" called a familiar voice. Naruto grinned as he got closer to the table and saw Shikamaru, who had said his name, along with Sakura, Choji, and Sai already seated.

"Hey guys! Sup?" Naruto said as he slid into a seat next to Shikamaru. Shikamaru scoffed teasingly at his words (Naruto said "sup" in English).

"Sup? What a cool guy you are now Naruto, with your American slang. You have become so worldly since you took that long trip." Naruto snickered and elbowed him. Sakura leaned forward, looking Naruto over. He actually looked nice - he was wearing a slim fit burnt orange polo shirt with black jeans and sneakers. The First Hokage's pendant peeked out of his unbuttoned collar to compliment the look. Without his hitai-ate on, his spiky blond hair fell like bangs over his forehead.

"Looking good Naruto!" she said with a smile and one eyebrow raised. "I wonder who picked out those clothes for you." she said with fake curiosity. Naruto leaned back and rolled his eyes. "Ugh Sakura-chan, will you ever stop bragging that you created my entire wardrobe? I picked out this shirt!" he complained.

"You definitely did not! I remember dragging you into that store to make you finally get some regular non-ninja clothes! I had to practically dress you myself!" Choji and Shikamaru chortled while they watched them bicker like siblings.

"Well, I picked out this color!" he argued. "Only after I told you to choose a darker shade of orange for once!" Sakura countered. Naruto huffed and crossed his arms.

Sai picked up a menu. "Shall we order some food?" Choji grunted in agreement.

Naruto blinked and looked around their table. "Hold on guys, we aren't all here." Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was just us." she said. "Who else is coming?"

But a smile was already on Naruto's face as he looked up at something to her left. Sakura tilted her head in question and turned to see Hinata standing next to her.

"Oh, Hinata!" Sakura said in surprise, smiling at up at her friend. Hinata smiled shyly and waved at the group. She was looking very chic in dark wash denim jeans and a silky black v-neck top with slightly ruffled short sleeves. "Good evening." she responded. "Is this seat taken?" she asked, indicating the seat in between Sai and Sakura. Sakura paused as she calculated swiftly in her mind that she should move to let Hinata be across from Naruto.

"Here, let me move down so you don't have to squeeze in between Sai and I." Sakura smiled innocently as she shifted down one seat. Hinata murmured a thank you and sat down elegantly. She felt butterflies awaken as she made eye contact with Naruto and looked over his appearance. He looked so attractive with his unruly hair freed from the hitai ate, and his shirt showed off his lean muscular torso.

Naruto was similarly taking in Hinata's look. This was the first time he really saw her in regular clothes. Usually she always wore a bulky jacket or hoodie when they were younger, but her style seemed to have totally changed. He noted her long hair framing her face and her dark top giving her a very feminine look without being skimpy like Ino's outfits usually did. _She looks... nice_. "Glad you made it, Hinata." he said with a big smile. Hinata blinked and gave a tiny giggle.

"Of course, I wanted to come." she said, adding "I'm sorry I'm late." Sakura shook her head. "No worries, you're just in time to order food with us."

Shikamaru waved over a waiter and the group took turns ordering what they wanted. Naruto ordered their miso ramen, to Sakura's exasperation. ("Naruto! Narita's specialty is barbecued meats. Why would you get the ramen?") Hinata chose a meal with beef teriyaki, rice and stir fried vegetables.

After the waiter left, Sai bent forward to look at Hinata past Sakura. "You are Hyuuga Hinata, is that correct?"

Hinata turned to regard the pale faced boy next to Sakura. She recognized him as one of Sakura's teammates, but they never truly met one another. "Yes." she answered with a friendly nod.

"And therefore, as a Hyuuga, you possess the special kekkei genkai known as the Byakugan, correct?" Hinata tilted her head at his interrogation but nodded her head once more. "Yes that's right."

Sai nodded as he confirmed his suspicions. "I thought so. Those eyes of yours..." he began.

Everyone at the table except Sai and Hinata tensed, especially Naruto. _Oh no,_ he thought frantically. Naruto had come to learn through Sakura that although Sai means well, his lack of knowledge of basic social norms made it difficult and embarrassing to bring him into pretty much any social setting. _I swear to God if he insults her..._ _  
_  
"... they are quite beautiful." Sai finished. Hinata just blinked, a blush rising to her cheeks. The others let out a collective sigh of relief. Naruto leaned back a bit in his chair as he had been poised ready to wrap a hand around Sai's neck. His eyes shot back to Hinata, who had placed a hand on her chest as she shyly thanked Sai. He cleared his throat and took a gulp of water from the glass in front of him as he tried to calm his beating heart.

The group chatted animatedly as they waited for their food to arrive. Hinata and Sakura got into their own conversation for a moment while Naruto and Choji argued about whether ramen or barbecued meat tasted better.

Sakura leaned closer to her, a conspiratorial smirk on her face. "So Naruto invited you today huh? So are you guys talking more now?" she said in a low tone so that the guys couldn't hear. Hinata blanched and glanced nervously at Naruto.

"Sakura, not too loud!" she murmured back in a pleading tone. "We haven't talked much, but we ran into each other this morning and he just decided to invite me." she explained, trying to make the conversation end there, not even realizing the irony of her words given her and Naruto's bumpy greeting that day.

Sakura giggled. "I see. And I haven't seen you wear that top before. Perhaps you've been saving it for a special occasion...? Hinata gasped and stared down at the table, willing herself not to blush. Sakura smiled and nudged her.

"Hey, I'm just teasing a little Hinata! You seriously do look really nice. Maybe I can find a way for us all to leave so you two can have a real date?" she suggested with a knowing smile. Hinata furiously shook her head. "N-no, that won't be necessary!" she squeaked.

Naruto glanced at the two girls huddled on their side of the table. "Hey, what are you two talking about?" Sakura and Hinata gasped and sweat dropped, both blurting out different excuses at the same time, then looking at each other in chagrin. Naruto cocked his head in confusion, but before he could ask again he was distracted by the arriving food.

As they ate and talked and laughed, Hinata couldn't stop herself from sneaking looks at Naruto. She watched his biceps move as he animatedly gestured while telling a story, or how broad his chest was when he leaned back and rubbed the back of his head out of habit. She thought about Sakura's offer to give them privacy, but the butterfly activity that thought created nearly made her tremble. What would they talk about? What if she started stuttering, and he found her to be weird?

The conversation had once again turned to very ninja-related topics as the group discussed various dangerous missions they had been on.

"So, our suspicions that the enemy would ambush us were confirmed when we arrived at the client's meeting point and were immediately trapped in a genjutsu." Shikamaru recounted. "Even after we were able to get out of it, there were dozens of enemy combatants cornering me, Ino, and Choji. It looked like it was going to be a grisly fight. And it would have been if it weren't for our fourth teammate." he said with a smile, glancing at Hinata.

Naruto cocked his head, looking at Hinata. "You were there too?" Hinata nodded modestly. Shikamaru chuckled. "Yes, we had Hinata join us to use her stealth skills in retrieving the package once we got to that meeting point. She was the one who had mentioned we should plan in case of an ambush, even when I personally was not worried about one happening. But she hung back anyways so that in case we got into a jam, there would still be one of us free to perform a counterattack. And so when we were cornered by the genjutsu, Hinata watched and waited for the right time to strike back."

Choji stuffed another potsticker into his mouth and nodded. "Yeah, all of a sudden a huge wave of water came out of nowhere and swept all of the enemies away. It allowed us to gain the upper hand and subdue the bad guys. And even after conjuring that wave Hinata was still able to Jyuuken the hell out of a few guys."

Naruto grinned at the story and looked at Hinata, impressed by this new bit of information. "Wow, Hinata, you really saved the day! It sounds like your strategy skills are even better than this useless Shikamaru!" he said, laughing as Shikamaru tried to elbow him. Hinata giggled, shy from all of the attention.

"Well, it was just a lucky guess." she said with a smile. "Shikamaru-kun is still the best strategist." she added. Shikamaru blushed lightly and cleared his throat.

Naruto had stopped laughing while listening to her latest comment. He knew that if he had been getting similar praise he would have puffed up in pride, but Hinata's remark made it seem like she wanted to pass the compliment over to Shikamaru, as if she didn't deserve the recognition. As the waiter came to remove their empty plates, he watched the Hyuuga girl out of the corner of his eye. While she would giggle and participate in the group's conversation, her body language showed she was uncomfortable. Her arms were pressed to her sides and her hands were clasped on her lap. She sat up straight while everyone else leaned back casually in their seats. He wondered why she couldn't seem to relax like everyone else. _Maybe she isn't having a good time,_ he thought worriedly.

Time passed, and finally it looked like everyone was ready to leave. Just as Sakura began to say that she was going to pay her bill, the waiter came to offer the dessert menu.

"Alright, dessert!" Naruto said with an excited yell. But Sakura shook her head. "I can't stay for dessert, I have to be up early tomorrow to start my hospital shift." she said. Shikamaru nodded as well. "Yes, I'm going to head out too."

Naruto pouted. "Aw man! I really wanted dessert..." Sakura rolled her eyes and then gasped as an idea popped into her head.

"Don't worry Naruto, we will go pay for our own meals, you can stay here and get dessert. Maybe Hinata can stay with you?" she said with a big smile. Hinata's eyes nearly popped out of her head at Sakura's suggestion.

"I'll stay too, I really want dessert!" said Choji. He squeaked when he caught Sakura's death glare. "Eep! On s-second thought, I'm going to go on a diet! I'll leave with you guys!" Naruto watched his large friend scramble from the table in disbelief- Choji, on a diet?

Sakura turned to Sai, who had been observing the interaction.

"Hmm, I think I see what the plan is here. So we are going to say that we are leaving so that Naruto and Hin-" he yelped as Sakura yanked him by the ear out of his seat. "Shut UP, Sai!" she hissed. She quickly threw a carefree smile on her face as they walked away. "Bye, Naruto and Hinata! Have a good night!"

Naruto waved back slowly, still trying to figure out why everyone left so quickly. The waiter was still standing there waiting to take their order. He looked at Hinata, who was still sitting in front of him, a blush spreading on her face. "Er, would you like to share dessert with me, Hinata?" he ventured. Hinata breathed in sharply. _Oh my God, we are alone...alone! This is exactly what I was afraid of!_ She sat there frozen as Naruto raised an eyebrow. Maybe she didn't hear him?

"Hinata...?" Hinata jumped and swallowed. Should she stay? Should she go? She wanted to stay but, then she'd have to talk to him, and he'd see how strange she is, and then, then he won't ever want to talk to her-

"Ahem," the waiter coughed, having had enough of waiting on them. "If I could be of service, I'd highly recommend the dessert special we are having tonight only: cinnamon bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. It tastes much like a cinnamon roll."

Despite herself, Hinata blinked and looked at the waiter. "It's like a cinnamon roll?" she asked. Naruto tilted his head at the sparkly look that suddenly appeared in Hinata's eyes, and a lopsided smile appeared on his face. He turned to the waiter. "One of those would be great!" he said. The waiter bowed and left the table.

Hinata looked at him in surprise, and he smirked. "I know that look you just made, Hinata. It's the same face I make when I see a bowl of ramen." he grinned. Hinata's mouth parted as she looked at him grinning back at her. And then, before she could stop herself, she giggled. No, not giggled, laughed!

Hinata covered her mouth with a hand as she laughed. Naruto began to laugh as well, happy with her change in demeanor. Hinata shook her head, trying to stop herself.

Naruto leaned back, both hands behind his head. "On a scale from one to ten, how much do you love cinnamon rolls?"

Finally coming down from her outburst, Hinata sighed. "Twelve..." she replied, a tiny smile on her face. Naruto laughed again.

"Twelve! Wow, it sounds like you love them almost as much as I love ramen." he said teasingly. Hinata smiled and sniffed at his words. "I definitely love cinnamon rolls more than you love ramen, Naruto-kun." she said.

Naruto gasped exaggeratedly and leaned forward again, pounding the table lightly with a fist. "You better take that back, Hinata! You are treading into dangerous waters there." he said in a low voice, but mirth still glittered in his deep blue eyes. Hinata crossed her arms. "As long as I am in water, you are at the disadvantage." she countered. Naruto grinned at her witty remark. "Speaking of water, I want to know more about that huge wave you made during that mission with Shikamaru's team."

Hinata's heart was beating at an inhuman rate, but she felt so...great! The waiter actually helped break the ice, and now the words were just flowing from her mouth as she recounted her version of Shikamaru's story. Naruto was engrossed in her tale and barely noticed when the dessert was set in front of them.

"So, it sounds like you can control the water just like how Gaara can control sand." Naruto said thoughtfully as they each dug into the bread pudding with their spoons. Hinata hummed her response, savoring the cinnamon-vanilla deliciousness in her mouth. "Well I suppose, although I'm nowhere near as strong as Gaara. I only recently started water chakra manipulation, so I still have a lot to learn."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Recently started? By the sound of your story it looks like you can already create pretty strong water jutsus. When exactly did you start?" Hinata looked at the nearly empty dessert plate.

"Around this time last year..." she admitted. Naruto let out a laugh. "So you've been doing it for a year! I know you work hard Hinata, so you are definitely a lot better than you're letting on." he said with a smile. Hinata blushed at his words, but shook her head.

"Thank you... but I should be a lot better by now..." she said in a voice that Naruto had to strain to hear over the restaurant noise. He frowned.

"Why do you keep doing that?"

Hinata blinked and looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "Why do you keep dismissing yourself, like you can't just take a compliment for what it is? You did it earlier when I said you know strategy really well. You turned it around to make it about Shikamaru's abilities. But that mission was successful because of you! Shikamaru made a bad judgement and the team could have really been hurt if you hadn't suggested to prepare for an ambush. Then you conjured an advanced water jutsu that took out at least ten really strong guys, and then you Jyuukened the rest of them! You are a sensei Hinata, you teach mission strategies all the time. I know because I literally saw you doing it the other day." Hinata looked at him with wide eyes as he spoke, the humor gone from his voice.

"What I'm saying is that, you need to just acknowledge that you are really freaking awesome, especially when others are telling you so." he added a bit more gently, realizing he may have come on too strong before.

Hinata searched Naruto's face with her big eyes, taking in each of his words. There wasn't an ounce of dishonesty in his own cerulean eyes that were staring back at her confidently. She closed her eyes briefly as a warmth kindled deep in her heart, and she bit her lip to keep down a growing lump in her throat.

"You... you are right." she said softly. Naruto smiled and raised a hand to his ear.

"Hmm? I can't hear you! It's too loud in here." he said, a smile spreading on his face. A tiny smile appeared on Hinata's as she exhaled in a huff.

"I said you are RIGHT, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto grinned and nodded. "Of course I am! Now say: I, Hyuuga Hinata, am a kickass ninja!"

Hinata burst into giggles and shook her head. "Come on, say it, otherwise I am eating this last bite!" Naruto prodded, pulling the plate out of her reach. Hinata sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I, Hyuuga Hinata, am a kickass ninja!"

Naruto laughed as Hinata buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. "Alright alright, I'll stop." he said, pushing the plate back to her. Hinata eyed him from between her fingers and quickly scooped up the last of the bread pudding with her spoon. Naruto grinned wolfishly, and Hinata looked down shyly at her plate, struggling not to blush at how handsome he looked in that moment.

She sighed and leaned forward, resting her head in one hand, a satisfied smile on her face as she tried to scoop the remaining melted ice cream into her spoon. Naruto looked over her relaxed figure, a much bigger improvement from her tense appearance earlier. _That's more like it..._ he thought as he regarded her. Her silky hair flowed over one shoulder as she bent slightly to place the spoon delicately into her mouth, pulling the utensil slowly from her lips as she made sure to get every last drop. His eyes lingered on her mouth as she lowered the spoon, and a funny feeling stirred deep within him. For a moment he wondered if the Kyuubi was trying to contact him.

Hinata covered her mouth as she yawned, causing Naruto to glance at the clock. "Huh, we've been here a lot longer than I thought." Hinata looked at the clock: it was close to 10pm. "Hmm, yes, I guess I should get going." she agreed, sadly accepting the fact that her almost-date with Naruto was ending.

"Oh yeah, you have a mission you have to leave for tomorrow, right? How early do you have to leave?" Hinata chuckled. "Very early" she responded. Naruto nodded. "Alright, well let's get out of here then, you need to be fresh for tomorrow." he said with a smile, pushing back in his chair to get up. Hinata nodded in agreement and stood up herself.

They stopped to pay the bill by the hostess' desk. Hinata began to protest as Naruto handed over enough money to cover both of their bills. "Oh, Naruto-kun, that isn't necessary, I have money!" she began, but Naruto ignored her and thanked the hostess when she handed him his change. He shook his head when Hinata tried to push money into his hand. "Don't worry about it Hinata, my treat." he said in an easygoing tone. Hinata looked at him in disbelief as a blush once again colored her face. _He paid for me! Almost as if... we were on a date!_ "Th-thank you, Naruto-kun." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Naruto chuckled, putting a hand behind his head as they stepped outside. "Don't sweat it, I'm glad you were finally able to come out with us! Otherwise I would have eaten dessert all by myself!" he joked. Hinata giggled softly and clasped her hands together as they walked back out onto the street.

"Which way is your place?" he asked. Hinata gestured down behind her. "It's just down the street actually, not far."

"Ok, let's go then." Naruto said casually as he began to walk that direction. Hinata hung back, staring at him. He turned to look at her. "I'll walk you home." he said by way of explanation.

Hinata looked at him in wonder and nearly skipped to his side. _This is... the best night ever..._

Naruto tried to glean more details of her mission as they walked down the lamp-lit street. "So, when will you get back?"

"At the latest, the next morning." she replied.

"Who is the client?"

She looked at him. "I can't really say..." she hesitated. Naruto sighed. "Is he really important?"

"It's a she, and yes she is part of the Land of Fire nobility."

Naruto stuck his hands in his pocket. "And so you just have to deliver the one scroll to her in her home?" Hinata nodded. "That's right."

Naruto frowned and looked at the ground. "I guess it sounds pretty straightforward."

Hinata smiled. "It is pretty straightforward, Naruto-kun." She stopped walking and Naruto looked at her for a moment before realizing they had already arrived at the Hyuuga mansion.

"Thank you again, Naruto-kun. For dinner, and for walking me..." she said shyly, smiling up at him. Naruto allowed a smile to come back to his face. "Of course Hinata, I'm really glad you came." he said honestly. "Be careful out there tomorrow." he added, peering down at the petite girl in front of him.

Hinata looked back up at him and murmured a thanks. Once again, Naruto found himself unable to look away from her eyes. In the moonlit night, they appeared to look like two huge pearls.

"Goodnight, Naruto-kun." He scratched the back of his head as he held up a hand to wave goodbye. "Ah, ha ha, yeah...goodnight." he said awkwardly as the Hyuuga heiress turned to walk into her home. He watched the door close behind her before he turned back.

As he walked home, he berated himself for acting so lame. _She probably thinks I'm a fifty year old man inside a nineteen year old body,_ he thought with an eye roll. Why did he have to keep pestering her about her mission? He stuck his hands in his pockets as the summer night wind picked up around him. _She's the Hyuuga clan heiress,_ he reasoned, _she has to be more careful than others, lest any bad guys find out who she is. They would maybe want to take her hostage for money or something._

He turned a corner as the almost-conflict at the dinner table flashed into his mind and he remembered how pissed he almost got at Sai. _Well, that guy pisses me off a lot. I didn't want Hinata to feel humiliated._ He looked up at the full moon in the sky, and he saw Hinata's pearl eyes looking back at him.

"Those eyes of yours...they are quite beautiful."

His lips curled into a small smile thinking about her laughing at his antics. When she relaxed she was actually fun to talk to. She had a great sense of humor. He never remembered Hinata laughing so much when they were younger. But then again, he had barely talked to Hinata back then, like really talked. Maybe he's been missing out on a great friendship this whole time. He then made a personal note to check in with her more often in the future. He was always down to make a new friend!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hinata stepped into her bathtub and sighed as she sank into the scalding water, having finally finished packing clothes and other traveling necessities into her travel bag. She had been grinning like a madwoman the entire time as she robotically moved around her room, images of the dinner flashing through her mind. Naruto smiling, Naruto teasing her, them sharing a dessert, him paying their bill, walking her home... the only way it could have been better was if it had been a true date from the beginning. But beggars can't be choosers. She'd take whatever she could get!

She reached over to the small ledge to pick up her bar of lavender soap and a small washcloth, and began to suds it up. She sighed and giggled as she began to absentmindedly wash herself, starting first with her face, then moving to her neck and shoulders. She couldn't believe things had gone so well - she had been so frightened that she would freeze up when her and Naruto had been left alone. But Naruto's simple joke about her love of cinnamon rolls totally calmed her nerves. Another smile spread on her face as she remembered his words of encouragement.

"What I'm saying is that, you need to just acknowledge that you are really freaking awesome!"

Her smiled wavered as the lump suddenly returned in her throat with a vengeance, and her eyes started to burn as tears began to collect. _He... he is so impossibly kind! Genuinely kind!_ Only recently had she begun to have any sort of self-confidence in herself, and it was only because she had finally began to pursue something she loved: teaching. But she still had many doubts about herself especially when it came to her own ninja abilities. Her students may think she is amazing, but her clan, and especially her father, dismissed everything she did, even when she began to improve when Neji started to help her train. Her father's harsh words from past spars and meetings still rang true in her mind.

Hinata sniffed and wiped an arm across her face to get rid of the tears. She leaned back in the tub and lazily dragged the cloth across her chest and down to her stomach, smiling again as she thought of Naruto. His carefree smile, his electric blue eyes, piercing deep into her own to look at her soul... She began to lightly circle her breasts with the cloth as she envisioned how his muscular body must look underneath his shirt. _What would it feel like if he were touching me right now?_

She sighed as one hand traveling up her chest to grip the space between her neck and her shoulder as the hand with the washcloth moved down to run along her flat stomach. The cloth felt both slippery from the soap and rough from its fibers and created a pleasurable sensation against her smooth skin. She dragged it even further down, submerging it into the water as she began to trail the cloth down her left thigh, across to her right knee, and up her right thigh to her pelvis. She repeated this circuit and slowly, slowly decreased the size of the circle as she began to touch her inner thighs.

Hinata started to breath a little quicker as she took her other hand from her neck and slid it down to her right breast. She began to caress herself, slowly increasing the pressure she inflicted on her sensitive breast. The washcloth began to dip closer and closer to her most private area.

"Oh... Naruto-kun..." she breathed weakly, her eyelids fluttering as addictive sensations began to flood her body. Suddenly, there was Naruto, casually sitting completely naked across from her in the bathtub, his arms resting on the edge of the tub behind him as he gazed at her, a seductive smirk on his face. His eyes trailed down her exposed torso, taking in her beauty. Hinata looked back at him longingly and continued to fondle her breast. "Please, come touch me." she begged.

Naruto's smirk grew and he leaned forward to shift closer to her. Hinata moved over so he was able to inch around and sit behind her. Her back rested against his expansive chest while his legs bordered her own. Hinata smiled and leaned back, craning her neck to the side to allow Naruto to nuzzle her skin. Strong hands snaked around her waist and sensually traveled around her stomach until one inched up to approach her heaving chest. She gasped as he gently tweaked a nipple with two fingers as he began to kiss up and down her neck. He teased her by circling his wet fingers around her areola and suddenly grabbing the entire breast fully before going back to circling, occasionally adding in another soft pinch and pull of her nipple. After a minute he switched to her right breast to give it some attention. All the while Hinata mewled and gasped as pleasurable tingles coursed through her body and began to awaken another very sensitive part of her body.

Naruto buried his head into her shoulder as he pulled her flush against his back and began to grab at her slippery breasts with more passion. His free right hand dropped down and began to graze against her upper right leg, his fingers skimming her inner thigh. Hinata whimpered as he ran his hand up and down her leg, each time curling his hand more and more around her inner thigh, pulling gently at her curvy flesh.

He continued to palm her breasts relentlessly. By now the tingling sensation could be felt very strongly in one central point between Hinata's legs. The movement of Naruto's hand by her leg was causing small currents to buffet around her pussy, awaking a throbbing need that made Hinata moan out loud.

She turned her head to the side to look deep into blue eyes darkened by lust. She gazed back, silently willing him to go further. Naruto smiled knowingly and gave her a tender kiss on the lips. He then used his right hand to pull her right leg out of the water and to the side, hooking it over his right leg and effectively pinning it down. He then let go of Hinata's breast and did the same with her left leg, splaying her legs wide open and causing her private area to be fully exposed underwater. Hinata began to breath rapidly as his left hand retook its position latched to her breast, while his right hand moved lazily to her inner right thigh. He ran his hand up to her pelvis and grazed the mound of flesh directly above her pussy before continuing to her left inner thigh. He then retraced his path back around her mound to the right thigh. Over and over he did this, each time bringing his hand closer and closer down to where Hinata wanted him to be. Hinata whimpered at the torture and struggled to reposition herself so his hand would fall on target, but her legs were restricted by his.

She arched her back when he finally grazed his hand over her pussy lips.

"Oh!" she cried out as his light touch revealed how sensitive she had become. The dark blue eyes that still held her gaze glittered with mischief. His hand rested briefly in the crease between her mound and left thigh before coming back over her exposed slit, lingering a fraction of a second longer and applying more pressure. Hinata moaned exotically and let her head fall back to press back into his shoulder, totally concentrating now on the delicious pleasure reverberating between her legs every time he passed his fingers over her.

Her lower abs contracted as he cupped her entire pussy with his hand and palmed it, rolling his hand around without delving deeper between the outer lips. Then, ever so slowly, he dipped the top of his middle finger deep to circle her hole, staring deep into her eyes as he felt how wet she was despite the fact her pussy was still submerged underwater. He pressed his forehead against hers, and Hinata let her eyes droop closed as she felt him touch her, her mouth parted as her breath hitched, so intoxicated with want that she couldn't even bother moaning.

Naruto pulled his finger from her depths up her slit and circled around her pulsing clit, spreading her juices around her pussy. He closed in on her clit until he was rubbing the nub, but still not pressing squarely onto it. Hinata began to buck her hips as powerful shocks of pleasure emanated from her pussy. "Ohh... Kami..." she whispered. She cried out when he suddenly pressed hard on her clit, rubbing it roughly before going back to circling its outer edges. He did this again, and again, and again, and began to build a sensual rhythm. Hinata gasped and whimpered as Naruto gripped her breast and pinched and tugged at her nipple with new found vigor. He dipped his finger every few moments back to her hole to bring up fresh juices to smother on her clit. Hinata was bucking her hips wildly now, water beginning to splash up the sides of the tub as she squirmed, but Naruto kept a vice grip on her as he held her legs wide open with his and gripped her to his chest, one hand dominantly clutching a breast while the other moving over her pussy down below.

He decided to up the ante by detaching his left hand from her tender breast to bring it down to her throbbing pussy. He used his pointer and ring fingers to spread her pussy lips even farther to fully present her clit to his right hand, and he began to strum her clit hard, no longer bothering with the teasing rhythm he used before. Hinata tensed her whole body and cried out as intense sensations washed over her.

"Oh... yes... right there..." she gasped to her amorous lover, who smiled and dragged his lips up and down her neck, nipping in random places. Hinata gyrated her hips in an effort to increase the friction even more between her clit and his fingers. Somewhere deep inside, she felt the beginnings of an orgasm building.

She arched her back and mewled and groaned in pure ecstasy as he attacked her clit, strumming and flicking exactly in the right spot. Her entire slit was slippery with her juices that were flowing out into the bath water. Naruto began to scissor her outer lips with the fingers holding her pussy apart, adding a new sensation to the mix and causing her need to orgasm to rise up from the depths of her pussy.

But Naruto still wasn't satisfied yet, and she nearly shouted out as he took his left hand away from her pussy lips to dip his left middle finger down towards her clenching hole.

"Oh Kami, please yes... please put it in...OH!" Her head snapped back as he quickly obliged her by slipping half of his middle finger smoothly into her pussy. He pumped it in and out gently, bringing it fully out to circle the rim of the hole before plunging back in again. His right hand continued to rub her clit viciously.

"AhhhhAHHH!" she cried, her eyes rolling back into her head as she bucked hard against his invading finger. After he pulled it out for the third time, he added a second finger and pushed both slowly into her, causing her to arch her back even more in extreme pleasure. He finally stopped playing around and began to slam his fingers up to the hilt in time with his hand that was rubbing deliciously over her slick clit. His fingers shoving deep into her pussy were the last thing needed to bring her to the brink, and her entire body trembled as she felt the orgasm coming on.

"Oh... oh...ohhhHHHH!" Hinata moaned with abandon as the orgasm roiled to a crescendo, and she undulated her hips to press her pussy even closer to his hands to prolong the earth shattering pulses of pleasure exploding from her clit. "Oh, Naruto-kun..." she murmured. Naruto continued to rub his fingers soothingly around her throbbing pussy as well as slowly thrust the fingers buried deep in her folds as she twitched and bucked erratically from aftershocks still coursing through her pelvis. Her head lolled back and she reveled in the drunken stupor that fell over her as she came down from her high place.

After a couple of minutes her eyes fluttered back open and she looked down at herself. Her legs were hanging over either side of the bathtub, and her hands were still touching her sore pussy, both fingers still inside of her. She pulled them out slowly, moaning softly at the friction in the highly sensitive place. She pulled her legs one by one into the now lukewarm water, wincing slightly at the ache in her hips from being stretched for so long.

Sighing softly to herself, she pulled herself up to a sitting position by gripping the sides of the tub. It had been a while since she had touched herself, usually being too tired after teaching all day to even bother. But her evening with Naruto after only seeing him in fleeting moments since he had returned had supplied her with new material for her private sessions. She blushed as a guilty smile appeared on her face and shook her head. It was useless to envision these kinds of things when they would never happen in real life. She was just setting herself up for major devastation once Naruto finally realized she was weird and not worth his time, or fell in love with someone else. That last thought made her smile waver as an image of Sakura popped into her mind, and she looked down dejectedly.

Sighing again, she braced herself using the tub to shakily get to her legs, goosebumps appearing as her skin was exposed to the room temperature air. She couldn't daydream about Naruto when she had to wake up early the next day! But later, as she snuggled under her sheets, a smile spread on her face as images from the dinner popped back into her mind, and she fell asleep dreaming of piercing blue eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER FIVE – THE LESSON**

After he saw Hinata at Narita, Naruto got placed on a B rank mission led by Kakashi-sensei that took him out of Konoha for four days. There had been a few close calls, but once again Kakashi's quick thinking combined with his Sharingan were able to pull the group out of harm's way. Naruto also got to experience Sai's fighting style, which he admitted was totally cool with his painting jutsus that literally brought his artworks to life. Naruto had noticed a few things about his own taijutsu techniques while fighting one of the enemy combatants that was easily able to find all of his weak spots in close combat. He decided that once he got back to Konoha he would do some training with Lee to bulk up his skills.

Lee and Naruto met on a Wednesday afternoon for some sparring, during which Lee seriously kicked his ass, although Naruto got in a few good hits of his own. Afterwards, Naruto staggered home to shower and recover with some instant ramen.

As he boiled the hot water for the ramen, he considered going out to spend time with friends and his thoughts drifted to Hinata.

 _I haven't seen her in a little while, I wonder how her last mission went,_ he thought, _she should be teaching today._ It was a Friday, so technically there should be school. _Maybe I can go stop by the training field and see if they are playing another game!_ An image of a blindfolded Hinata kicking Konohamaru's butt conjured itself in his mind and he laughed to himself. Oh yes, he just had to go see that.

After eating Naruto changed into his jumpsuit and headed out towards the Academy. He flew from roof to roof, smiling as he saw himself get closer to the old school building. He strained his eyes as he closed in on the training field, trying to spot Hinata. But dropping silently into the center of the field he saw that it was totally vacant. He frowned up at the building, trying to listen for children's voices, but there were none.

 _Hm, maybe they closed early today?_ He thought, feeling disappointed. He walked over to the backyard door and tried to open it, but it was locked tightly. School was definitely out that day.

"Oh, is that you, Naruto?" A familiar voice called behind him. He turned to see Iruka-sensei standing by the training field exit.

"Yo, Iruka-sensei!" called Naruto. "Is there no school today?"

"No, we closed early since the students are starting their late summer break this weekend and throughout next week" replied Iruka. "Why? Are you looking for someone?" he smiled knowingly.

"Oh ok I forgot that was coming up. Yeah I just wanted to see if Hinata was around." Naruto said casually. Iruka's smile widened. "Oh really?" he grinned in a teasing voice.

Naruto frowned at Iruka's weird expression. "Uh, yeah. I wanted to see if I could catch her teaching. I saw her teach a couple weeks back and it was really cool! It's just fun to watch." he explained, wondering why Iruka was giving him that look.

Iruka nodded. "Yes, I agree her lessons are quite innovative, I've been learning a lot from her myself! You are in luck actually, she is teaching today, just not here..." Iruka said with a mysterious smile. Naruto cocked his head.

"Really? Well then where is she?" he asked confusedly.

"Try the big lake by the edge of the woods near Hokage mountain." Naruto stared at Iruka-sensei. He wondered why she was teaching all the way over there. It was far from the public training fields.

"Why is she over there?" he asked Iruka.

"Well, why don't you head over there and find out for yourself?" Iruka said in a flat tone. Naruto rolled his eyes and let out a huff. "Fine fine, thanks Iruka-sensei!" Naruto blurred out of sight. Iruka chuckled watching him leap away. _Looks like luck may finally be on Hinata's side,_ he thought to himself.

Naruto slowed as he neared the trail to the lake by the Hokage mountain. He hadn't been around here since before he left on his three year trip, and he wanted to make sure he didn't forget where to turn to access the lake. He walked down the dirt path, his sandals making a soft thud as he walked over fallen leaves and forest debris.

As he walked he heard the sound of young kids screaming and laughing. He squinted through the trees and walked a bit faster. That sounded like it had to be them!

He finally came across the turn in the trail that led directly to the water and quickly trotted down the steep path. The woods suddenly cleared and an enormous lake came into view, rimmed by tall pine trees that went around the body of water for miles. He heard the high pitched voice of a girl to his left, and he turned his head to see Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon standing by the beachy side of the lake shore. He craned his neck to see if Hinata was with them, but if she was he wasn't in his line of sight, so he began to slowly make his way down the shore to the small group.

The three of them turned to regard him when they heard him draw closer.

"Naruto-kun!" The three children yelled in surprise and delight, running toward him like three little demons.

"Hey you guys!" Naruto smiled down at the three wily kids who stared up at him. Konohamaru pointed arrogantly at him.

"State your intentions, rival! What is the meaning of you just showing up here? Did you follow us?" Konohamaru cried exaggeratedly. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Relax, fool. I heard Hinata was giving a training lesson out here, so I came to see if I could catch you getting curved by your sensei again". he replied grinning evilly, to which Konohamaru narrowed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. Naruto ignored him and looked around. "Is she here with you?"

Just then, a rustling behind him made him swing around.

"Yes, I'm here with them." said a soft voice that could belong to none other than Hinata, who was delicately picking her way through the vegetation towards them. The corners of Naruto's mouth involuntarily curled up into a smile.

"Hinata! So you are actually out here." said Naruto, walking closer to meet her. She was in shinobi garb again, but instead of her usual teaching outfit, she was wearing a nylon jumpsuit consisting of skin tight navy blue leggings and a matching long sleeved zip up jacket. The zipper was pulled down to the center of her chest to show she had an even darker blue tank top underneath. Her hitai-ate was tied around her neck and she wore her usual shinobi open toed boots. The jacket curved nicely around her chest and showed off her flat stomach. The leggings hugged her toned legs all the way down to her knees where her boots began.

"Wow, nice suit!" he said, taking in her newest look. Again he thought how strange and yet intriguing it was that Hinata dressed so differently now than she used to. Hinata blushed and looked down at herself.

"Thank you Naruto-kun. And yes, we came here for some extra training. I'm surprised to see you." she said, looking back up at him with a small smile. "How did you know we were here?"

Naruto smiled and pointed backwards with his thumb. "I had stopped by the Academy to see if you were there teaching, but Iruka-sensei saw me and told me that you had gone here to give a lesson. So I decided to come by and check out what you all were up to."

Hinata couldn't believe her ears. Naruto actually came to look for her?

"Ohhh, Naruto-kun, it is the most fun lesson Hinata-sensei has ever created!" squealed Moegi. "You have to come do it with us!"

Naruto grinned down at her. "Ok! So what exactly are you all doing? Are you doing something in the water?" He looked back at Hinata in her jumpsuit. She nodded.

"Yes, today we will be practicing using chakra to stand on the water." Hinata explained. Naruto's ears perked up at that.

"Alright! This is going to be great. I know lots of tricks for that." he grinned. Konohamaru grumbled at his comment. Naruto looked down at him with an eyebrow raised.

"What's up with you?" he said to the young boy. Konohamaru glared at him and crossed his arms, looking down. Hinata chuckled, picking up on Konohamaru's emotions.

"Ah Konohamaru-kun, don't worry. I promise you will get the hang of it today. Naruto-kun is older and has been doing this a lot longer than you. Maybe he can explain it even better that I can." Hinata looked at Naruto with a slightly lopsided smile. "I'm giving the three of them an extra lesson in strengthening their chakra control since it has proven to be a bit more challenging for them than our other lessons." she said by way of explanation. Naruto grinned and plopped his hand on Konohamaru's head to vigorously ruffle his hair, to Konohamaru's chagrin.

"Don't sweat it, twerp. Uzumaki Naruto is going to give you a lesson you'll never forget!" Konohamaru glared up at him, but he couldn't stop his mouth from pulling into a reluctant smile. "Ok fine." he agreed.

"Hai. Let's get started then." Hinata said airily. She really liked this lesson herself, but it was about to be a hundred times more fun with Naruto! She just couldn't believe her luck.

She turned and walked over to a large boulder, where a large scroll was leaning against the big rock. Naruto hadn't noticed the scroll before.

Hinata made a couple of hand seals, and then picked up the scroll and pulled it open in one smooth motion.

Two rod-shaped objects popped out of thin air from the scroll, and Hinata snatched both of them deftly with one hand. Hinata set down the scroll and saw Naruto's curious face. She smiled and put one of the rods into her free hand, and then flicked both of her wrists. With a crack, the rods revealed themselves to really be two fans. Naruto blinked in surprise and walked closer to take a look.

Naruto bent slightly to get a good look at the fans. They seemed to be made out of some tough fortified sky blue parchment. The skeleton of the fans were made of a black colored metal.

"What are these for?" he asked her. She smiled and simply said "You'll soon find out!" Naruto looked at her and snorted lightly at her smile that had an ever so faint touch of mischief.

"Ok, sensei." he said with a boyish smirk. Hinata rolled her eyes at him calling her sensei, but secretly feeling a disproportionate amount of glee at the teasing she was receiving from him.

"Come children," she called. She concentrated on her chakra briefly, and a small puff of air appeared around her bare feet as she pushed some chakra to the bottom of her legs. She then easily strode out onto the water, standing right on top of it as if it was concrete even as the water depth increased. Small ripples fanned out from her feet with every step.

Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon ran forward enthusiastically to the shore, grinding to a halt to concentrate on pushing their chakra to their feet. Naruto noticed that while his back had been turned they had stripped down to their own swimsuits. After a few moments three puffs of air whooshed out from around their feet, indicating their chakras were pressed towards the ground. They cautiously stepped onto the water, wobbling slightly as they got the hang of it, and then began to shuffle out to the center of the lake where Hinata stood patiently.

Naruto smiled at their efforts and began to follow them. After a moments deliberation, he pulled off his black jacket and set it on the boulder before continuing. He was wearing a black tank top, Tsunade's charm tucked safely under the neckline. The tank top accentuated his broad shoulders that were lined with lean muscle from shoulder down to his forearms. The form fitting tank showed off the athletic silhouette of his chest and abdomen.

Hinata's chest rose and fell erratically as her eyes raced over Naruto's partially exposed upper body. He wasn't even bare chested, yet he looked so sexy! She bit her lip trying to stave off the burning feeling creeping from her nose to her ears and yanked her head away to focus on the children approaching her.

Naruto bent his legs a few times to loosen up his muscles, and then closed his eyes into focus on his chakra. A couple seconds later he stepped out onto the lake and easily walked over the calm water to the rest of the group. Konohamaru watched him with narrowed eyes.

Naruto looked at the three youngsters. They seemed to be doing pretty well, although Konohamaru wobbled occasionally. He wondered how much more training they really had to do.

"Hey, you guys are looking good so far. Are you sure you really need to practice this any further?" he asked. Hinata smiled.

"They have the basics down, but they need to now apply it in more stressful situations that mimic real life." she responded. Naruto nodded thoughtfully.

"That's true. So what's next?" Hinata nodded once and looked at her young students.

"Ok you three, you know what to do. Go take your usual positions." The student grinned and nodded excitedly. "Hai!" They sang, and began to tiptoe away from Hinata and Naruto. He watched as they got further and further away, until they stopped about a hundred feet from where he stood with Hinata.

"Good. Are you all ready?" she called in a raised voice that pierced the tranquil air around the lake. The kids smiled and Konohamaru gave a thumbs up.

With another crack, Hinata reopened the fans in her hands and bent her knees slightly. She looked over at Naruto.

"You may want to brace yourself, Naruto-kun. It's going to get a little choppy." she said. Naruto tilted his head in question at her advice but followed her lead and bent his knees as well, holding out his arms a little ways from his body, ready to catch his balance if need be.

Hinata slid her left foot out in front of her and leaned into a lunge position. She flared out her arms with a fan in each hand, and began to make a series of sweeping movements with her arms. Her gestures almost looked like she was trying to gather in the air around her. After a few moments, chakra began to appear on her forearms and slowly inched down to her hands. The chakra then snaked around the open fans until they too were glowing with blue light.

Naruto's eyes widened as he watched her continue to gracefully arc her arms back and forth, out to in. He suddenly lurched forward and swung an arm out to balance himself, looking down at his feet. To his surprise, the calm lake water that they were standing on had suddenly become disrupted. He looked over to Konohamaru and the others, but the water around them was still relatively stationary. It seemed like Hinata's movements were just affecting the water immediately around him and her.

Hinata then swept back the foot that was outstretched in front of her and straightened up in one fluid motion. She pulled her left arm straight back, the now closed fan in her left hand pointing down at the water behind her. Her right arm wrapped around her waist so that the opened fan in her right hand was also pointing behind her left side. She paused, giving a calculating look at the churning water roiling around her feet.

In one fluid motion, Hinata swung her right arm out in a horizontal arc, as if she planned to throw the fan like a shiruken. Naruto watched as a small wave of water about 15 feet across raised in front of them and slowly began to advance. As it moved towards the three students, it began to grow in size and speed, white froth bubbling up at its peak. Naruto watched in wonder as the wave charged at Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon, who's faces looked serious as they began to crouch down in preparation. The wave now had reach about 4 feet in height. It wasn't something that the students could just skip over.

In the last moments before the wave would have hit them head on, the three young shinobi jumped high, and the wave passed underneath them. The three came down and landed back on the water, their faces scrunched in concentration as they forced more chakra down to their feet. Each of them shakily stood back up straight.

Hinata nodded. "Nice job you three!" she complimented. "Remember to stay aware of your chakra flow. I'm going to do the usual set." she said encouragingly.

Naruto looked at her. "So, how does this really work?" he asked. Hinata made another arc with her fan and conjured a second four foot wave.

"It pushes them to take chakra control one step further than just simply walking on water or up a tree." She said as she watched the kids jump over the wave. "By jumping over the wave, they have to switch from holding chakra in their feet to using it to boost them over the waves, which are going to get higher and higher. They then have to quickly stabilize the chakra again in order to land on the water without falling in. It helps them become more aware of how chakra moves in their bodies. It also has the added bonus of increasing their stamina, which always helps." she smiled as Konohamaru momentarily lost his footing upon landing, but Moegi quickly caught his arm and pulled him back up.

Naruto made an impressed sound. "Huh. So it's less about standing on the water and more about manipulating and controlling the chakra. So why don't you just have them jump up and down on the water? Why do you add the waves?"

Hinata sent out another wave that became slightly taller than the last.

"The waves give them something to focus on. As I increase the wave size, it forces them to jump higher and higher, which allows me to control the difficulty. I think they just find it fun to leap over the waves, so if that's what motivates them, then I'll do that!" She giggled softly. "It also gives me a chance to train myself." She held up a fan. "These are special fans that shinobi who can do water element manipulation use to execute water bending jutsus." she explained, anticipating Naruto's next question. "I've been trying to learn how to use these over the last few months."

Naruto put his hands on his hips, impressed with her mini lecture.

"Wow, this is so cool Hinata! You really know what you are doing." he said, looking at her. She released another wave and smiled at him quickly before looking down bashfully.

"Thank you Naruto-kun. It's not so hard to teach as long as you know how to listen to your students. They know how they learn best, it's just my duty to provide them with the opportunity." she said quietly, watching as her charges jumped over her last wave. Udon even added a somersault in his jump and landed squarely on his feet. Konohamaru yelled something at him, probably about him showing off.

Naruto smiled as he watched Hinata study the students' activity. It was touching that she took teaching so seriously.

"Alright! Well it looks like I'm the only one who isn't training right now. So I guess that means that I will have to join in!" Naruto said with a grin on his face, and he began to do some arm stretches. He then sprinted over to where Konohamaru and the others were standing. Hinata watched him go in surprise, and then giggled. This will definitely be interesting.

Konohamaru watched Naruto approach. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going to show you how it's done." Naruto responded with a smirk. He turned back to Hinata.

"We're ready for you, sensei!" he yelled.

Hinata shook her head with a small smile, and then crouched elegantly into her stance once more.

The wave that appeared after her arm passed from left to right began to froth violently as it easily rose to ten feet. Naruto bent forward with his arms out, fingers splayed. He stared down the oncoming wave. He glanced at the three students, who were starting to break into a run. He gave them a head start, and then started to run forward himself.

The water at his feet started to rise at an incline as the wave greeted them. The students ran up the incline to get some height before leaping up into the air to make it over the rest of the wave. Since he was much taller than them, Naruto simply jumped straight up, bringing his knees all the way to his chest, and easily cleared the wave. He landed with barely a splash as he came down on the other side. He looked over at the kids, who were panting and looking at him in awe.

"Wowww, Naruto-kun! You make it look so easy!" said Moegi, looking at him in admiration. Konohamaru just humphed. Naruto just grinned and laughed. He looked over to see Hinata, but took a quick step back when he saw another huge wave rumbling towards them.

"Whoa!" he cried out, looking back at the kids in alarm. But they were already in action, sprinting towards the wave to gather momentum for their next jump. Naruto quickly joined them and pushed off powerfully, springing over the wave. He landed next to Udon. The kids were giggling from the adrenaline from Hinata's surprise attack.

"Oi Hinata-sensei! Are you trying to drown your students over here?" Naruto called. Hinata shrugged with a small smile of her own.

"They are perfectly fine, Naruto-kun. I have conditioned them to stay aware of surprises. I noticed your own reaction was a little late however..." she trailed off, looking at him with a twinkle in her eye. Naruto gaped at her. She was poking fun at him! A grin slowly grew on his face. He'll show her what a model student he could be!

"Hai! Let's go a few more times!" Hinata said from her position in the center of the lake. She changed her position, this time indicating she was going to create waves with her left arm. She swung her left arm forward in a short swing, similar to how one skips rocks on water. Another giant wave rose up and rolled thunderously towards Naruto and the students, who all took off running to build their momentum.

The next half hour passed by quickly as the group leapt giddily over wave after wave. Hinata kept them on their toes by changing her rhythm, sending two or even three waves back to back. Naruto experimented by flipping a number of different directions over the waves, and practiced landing on his hands a few times, to the students' delight. Hinata giggled and shook her head, butterflies deep within her coming to life as she watched her crush show off his athleticism and carefree confidence.

Save a few slips and dips, Konohamaru was holding his own fairly well. But after watching Naruto's antics, he became resolved to try a few moves of his own. _It doesn't look that hard,_ he reasoned as Naruto did another backflip over the oncoming wave.

Hinata was now pushing them hard by sending fifteen to seventeen footers back to back. Konohamaru started to ready himself, jumping normally above one wave and using his momentum when he hit the water on the other side to take the next wave at a sprint. He gritted his teeth as the water below him raised into a steep incline as the wave came upon him. _Just a little higher..._

He gasped as he temporarily lost hold of the chakra in his feet. He tried in vain to push it back into place, but it was already too late. He had slid to far down the wave which was starting to curl in on itself as it began to crash downwards. He felt gravity pulling him backwards, and he flinched, bracing himself for the impending pounding...

He grunted as something suddenly shoved him from the right, and he shot like a missile out of the wave's path. He shut his eyes as water splashed into his face as he felt himself skidding to a stop.

Konohamaru felt discombobulated as he quickly wiped the water from his face and peered out tentatively, and soon he knew why - he was hanging over something sturdy, the top of his head pointing at the water's surface. All he could see was black. And then the black surface hummed as he heard a deep chuckle reverberate around him.

"You good, twerp?" came a lighthearted voice. Konohamaru blinked and twisted to look upwards, only to see the back of Naruto's blond head. Evidently it was Naruto who had grabbed him out of harm's way, and now he was hanging over Naruto's broad shoulder like a sack of rice.

Konohamaru gritted his teeth and began to squirm. "Ugh, let go of me!" he whined, embarrassed to be in such an undignified position. Naruto growled when he jabbed him in the back with an elbow and dropped him unceremoniously, which caused Konohamaru to splash and sputter as he sank like a rock, chakra control and swimming skills momentarily forgotten.

Two hands then hooked under his armpits and lifted him up swiftly, holding him so his feet were just above the water.

His sensei's voice emanated behind him. "Konohamaru-kun! Are you alright?" Konohamaru stopped struggling and winced as he realized his sensei had come to save him yet again. He sighed. Hinata giggled softly.

"It's ok Konohamaru-kun. Stand back up now." she coached gently. Konohamaru closed his eyes to push the chakra once more to his feet, and nodded when he was ready so Hinata could set him down safely.

"You have to be careful Konohamaru-kun. I know you can't wait to do all of the tricks." she paused, eyeing Naruto as if to say "you encouraged him!" Naruto itched the back of his head and looked away pretending he didn't hear. "... but you just need to be patient and make sure you are comfortable with the basics. You were doing very well, you just need to be careful since the waves can become unpredictable." Konohamaru nodded, glad that his sensei was not angry with him.

"Hai, sensei..." he said in a low voice. Hinata smiled. "And thank Naruto-kun for catching you." she added. Konohamaru winced and looked at Naruto from the side of eye. Naruto gave him a lopsided smile and crossed his arms. The young ninja-in-training sighed.

"Thank you...Naruto..." he grumbled. Naruto grinned and gave him a brotherly thump on the back.

"Don't sweat it man. We are going to try again until you get it." he said with a confident smile. Konohamaru blinked up at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Naruto looked down at him. "I'm going to show you how I did it. And then you are going to do it." he clarified. Hinata's brows furrowed worriedly.

"Um... Naruto-kun, I don't want to push them too hard today..." she started, but Naruto held up his hands in an effort to quell her worries. "Just let me try something Hinata, I promise it won't be anything they shouldn't be able to do." Hinata deliberated for a few seconds.

"Ok... but tell me what you are going to do." she relented. Naruto smacked a fist into his hand.

"Alright! So, first, you will have to create a wave that's bigger than the last one..." The group nodded as Naruto described his plan. Hinata cocked her head thoughtfully as she listened. It seems like it should work actually, she thought. A small smile grew on her face as she watched Naruto gesture animatedly. _He is actually pretty good at instructing,_ she noted in admiration.

The five retook their positions, Hinata back at the other end of their imaginary training field in the lake.

"Ok Hinata, let 'er rip!" shouted Naruto. Hinata giggled at his excitement and stepped back into her stance. After a moment's calculation, she swept her arm to generate her largest wave yet, a twenty-footer.

Naruto looked back at the young trio, who were standing out of the wave's path. They nodded to show they were paying attention.

Naruto turned back and slightly bent his knees in preparation as the wave charged at him. He began to advance forward, leaning into a sprint, his arms pointing back in a V shape behind him as he picked up speed. As the wave came upon him, he pushed more chakra down through his feet to help him begin to scale the wave. Konohamaru watched as Naruto rapidly ascended. Instead of running straight up, he followed a zig zag path up the wave, shifting from one foot to the other to allow himself to get to the wave's crest. At the last moment, he pushed off forcefully to somersault forwards, touching down catlike on the other side as the wave careened to the other end of the lake.

Moegi and Udon oohhed and aahhed as they admired his performance, clapping at the end. Konohamaru stayed silent, his eyes narrowed as he watched Naruto standing back up and place a hand behind his head as he accepted their applause with a cheeky grin. He glanced over at Hinata, who had a wry smile on her face and held up a thumb. He chuckled and cleared his throat, trying not to seem so pleased with their reactions.

"Alright! So do you kinda get it now?" he asked. "Now you should all try!"

Konohamaru nodded curtly and strode back out to where Naruto was standing, followed by Moegi and Udon. When they seemed ready, Naruto looked back at Hinata and gave a thumbs up. "Do the same size again!" Hinata nodded and promptly sent another enormous wave out. Naruto watched her move gracefully, her long hair whipping to the side as her body twisted to send forth the wave. He unknowingly smiled, his lips curling up even as the chakra-infused wave blocked her from his view.

"Ok guys, here she comes." said Naruto cheerfully, bending his knees. The young students tensed and prepared themselves to move, looking in slight awe at the huge wave, this one seeming even bigger than the last. Naruto had said a bigger wave would help them spend more time actually climbing since it would take more time for the wave to collapse.

"Almost there... almost... now!" The gang raced forward and fanned out to give each other space. Konohamaru glared at the monstrous wave. _I'm going to do this!_

When the moment came, Konohamaru pushed his chakra down to launch himself up the wave. He got the initial foothold and immediately pushed off to land the second foothold with his right foot, and then kicked up and to the left to connect his left. Up and up he went, zig zagging methodically, rhythmically. _Don't bother looking up while you are climbing_ , Naruto's voice replayed in his mind, _just focus on each step, make each of them count._ He breathed deeply, beginning to get excited as he realized he was getting higher than he did last time. His body tensed as his right foot skidded as he went for another leap, but he threw more power into his legs and managed to push back to his left foot, taking care to place it correctly on the wall of the wave, which was getting steeper by the second. _Don't think about getting there, focus on each step_ , he reminded himself, gritting his teeth. He pushed, and pushed, and pushed, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Suddenly, he saw the peak of the wave in his peripheral vision, and he leaped up, excitement running through him as he realized he was almost there. As his foot touched the wave's crest, he looked out giddily at the sweeping view of the lake and surrounding trees, and a huge grin spread onto his face.

"Wahoo!" he heard a yell to his right, and he saw Naruto leaping over and sliding down the wave on his butt, his arms raised as he laughed like a child. Konohamaru laughed despite his earlier moodiness and bent forward, giggling maniacally as he did a double flip over the wave and landed midway down the wave's back. He slid down like a skier to the flat water below, where Naruto and Hinata were waiting for him.

"Yeahhhh! Did you see that, did you see that!" he cried excitedly. His smile faded as he realized he had too much momentum and couldn't stop quickly enough. He was about to bowl into his sensei!

Hinata and Naruto both realized at the same time that Konohamaru wasn't going to stop. Before Hinata could react, Naruto quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her to his side. Konohamaru zoomed past a fraction of a second later. Hinata gasped as she turned to look up at Naruto, who's face was only a few inches from hers. As could be expected, a blush began to spread across her cheekbones.

Naruto stared back, breathing a bit quicker as he felt her body pressed to his side. Her waist felt soft and yet firm under his arm. And it was so tiny. _My arm could practically wrap itself around her waist twice if it could bend that much,_ he thought. _Whoa, where did that thought come from?_ He quickly untangled himself from her and chuckled awkwardly. "Did you not show them how to stop?"

Hinata blinked, coming out of the haze that descended in her vision as his piercing blue eyes inches from hers reminded her of her "personal session" after dinner at Narita. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she heard him tease her teaching abilities. "Yes of course. He just got a bit overexcited." she huffed, although she couldn't stop a smile from appearing as quickly turned to pretend like she wanted to see where Konohamaru went. She gripped her fans as she heard Naruto continue to chuckle behind her.

Naruto's smile widened as he caught her smile as she turned away, and he watched amusedly as she called out to Konohamaru, who had finally come to a stop several meters away. It was like somehow their friendship was different since they had dinner at Narita. There was a new relaxed, fun element to their interactions. He was beginning to enjoy watching the well-bred Hyuuga become momentarily flustered.

When the kids regrouped, Hinata called time.

"Awww, we can keep going sensei!" Konohamaru yelled, despite the sweat beading on his forehead as he stood shakily on top of the water. Moegi and Udon also seemed to be fighting fatigue, but it was clear that the last wave had taken a lot out of them. Hinata shook her head with a smile. She stuck the closed fans between her thighs to hold them while she made some hand seals.

All of a sudden, a tiny island rose under Naruto and the students, lifting them out of the water. The three young shinobi sighed in relief and sank to the hard packed soil. Naruto knelt down and touched the brand new ground with wonder.

"So you can do both water and earth manipulation?" he asked Hinata in awe as she joined them. Hinata blushed lightly and nodded. "Yes... but my earth techniques are not as good as my water techniques since earth is my secondary element." she said modestly. She lowered gracefully to a kneeling position next to Udon.

"Amazing work you three. I'm really proud of you today." she said cheerfully to the exhausted students. They visibly perked up at her praise.

"Thank you sensei!" they chorused.

"Oi, and what about me? Am I chopped liver?" Naruto joked, and the students laughed. Hinata giggled and nodded.

"Yes, Naruto-kun, your chakra control is excellent." she complimented in a sincere tone. Naruto blinked at her honest remark and looked down with an awkward chuckle, an unfamiliar warmth washing over his face. Usually he acted a bit arrogant when he received any compliments, but her praise oddly made him feel funny, devoid of any witty remarks.

"I hope you three were watching how Naruto-kun handled the waves." she continued. "His methods are a little different from what I've been teaching you, but they are just as effective and could be helpful as well." Udon nodded furiously, while Konohamaru just grunted and looked over at Naruto, who smiled cheekily and gave him a brotherly nudge, forcing Konohamaru to chuckle.

Hinata stood back up and indicated that they should head to the shore, and the rest of the group stood. They each stepped off Hinata's manmade platform and walked in, Konohamaru and Moegi making it into a race.

Naruto watched as they splashed off, walking slowly so that he could be besides Hinata. She turned her head slightly to look at him with a smile.

"Thank you for coming Naruto-kun, and also for helping me with the lesson…you really didn't have to..." she said shyly.

Naruto smiled back. "I'm glad I came, I had a great time, like I knew I would! You are really great at making things fun." Hinata reddened and felt the butterflies take flight again.

"So, what are you going to do now?" he asked since she hadn't yet responded. Hinata took a breath to slow her beating heart.

"Hm, well, I'll probably walk the students back down to the village and make sure they get home safe. Then I may come back here to do some more training for myself." she said, twirling an open fan absentmindedly with her right hand. Naruto raised an eyebrow. Although Hinata was walking steadily on the water, he could tell from her face that she needed to rest at least a little. She had been doing those water bending jutsus for over two hours straight.

"You sure? Maybe you should take a break Hinata. You've been going at it for a while." he said. Hinata looked at him and smiled cheerily.

"Thanks Naruto-kun. I think I can go for a little while more though. I've been training like this for a while to get better with the fans." she said demurely. Naruto frowned slightly, not totally convinced, but he supposed she knew what she was doing.

"Alright then. I'll walk the twerps down with you." he said as they reached the sandy shoreline. Konohamaru and the gang were already yanking their clothes back on after drying with their towels. Naruto stepped to the side and shook the water off him like a dog, sprinkling Konohamaru. Hinata, Moegi, and Udon laughed while Konohamaru glared at a grinning Naruto. Hinata lightly fanned herself with one of the fans, and the chakra-induced water began to gently run off her body and hair until her skin was totally dry. Naruto watched as the fan blew her hair back, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the cool air from the fan. He quickly snapped back to attention when Konohamaru prodded him not so lightly to make him move off of the t shirt Naruto had accidentally sat on while stopping to pull his shoes on. He cleared his throat, suddenly hyper aware that he was staring at Hinata a little too much.

Hinata and Naruto quietly walked side by side down the forest path as the students ran up ahead, chattering and laughing noisily. Although he felt comfortable in the friendly silence that somehow only existed between him and Hinata, he searched for something to say. Then suddenly he gasped as he remembered something.

"So, I heard from Iruka-sensei that school is out for the next week or so." Naruto started. Hinata nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, the school will be closed, so the teachers get to have a holiday as well." she responded.

Naruto glanced at her, his hands in his pockets. "That's cool. So are you planning on doing anything during the break?" he asked.

"Well, I'll definitely do some training at least once a day. I also will get a head start on my lesson plans. But other than that I'll probably just relax. I suppose it's possible that I may get placed on a mission." she replied in her soft voice.

Naruto nodded in understanding. He then went back to what he wanted to ask her.

"So, I'm going with a bunch of our friends to the beach tomorrow, and I wanted to know if you were planning to go as well."

Hinata looked back at him, her mouth in a small O at his comment. "No, I didn't know they were going." she said in a whispery voice. Why did Naruto want to know -

"Well, can you come? If you aren't busy, that is!" Naruto said hurriedly, looking at her hopefully. For some reason he felt nervous asking her. Maybe she wouldn't want to come, she was so busy, maybe he shouldn't be so bothersome-

"Oh, yes I'd like to!" Hinata responded breathlessly. Naruto blinked and a grin spread onto his face.

"Really? All right!" he said excitedly. "It'll be fun I promise. We'll be meeting at the beach around 11-ish. Oh, would you maybe be able to bring food? Any kind of food, it doesn't matter. We are all just bringing something to share for lunch..." he went on and on. Hinata giggled at his tirade of words.

"Yes, of c-course I'll bring something. Thank you for inviting me." she said, trying to control the giddiness that was bringing out her stutter.

They had come to the end of the path. The kids were waiting for them a few feet away by the entrance to the village.

"Goodbye sensei! Thank you for the lesson!" they chanted and bowed. Hinata smiled and returned the bow. "You're very welcome. Enjoy the break everyone!" The youngsters grinned and turned to run off, Konohamaru lingering briefly before continuing on as he noticed Naruto and Hinata hanging back to talk.

Naruto looked at Hinata. "Heading back still?" he asked, his tone indicating he still thought she should take a break. But Hinata just smiled and nodded.

"Yes... thank you again Naruto-kun. I'll see you tomorrow." she said softly.

Naruto smiled and nodded back in agreement. "Sounds good! Have a good night then." He watched as Hinata murmured good night and turned to begin walking slowly back up the path to the lake, her still wet hair swinging in the evening wind.

Naruto turned and began to make his own way back home. A small smile lingered on his face as he recounted the events of the day. He actually had quite a bit of fun with Hinata, even with those crazy students of hers. He thought about Hinata's new clothes, her lack of a stutter, and her marked increase in strength. S _he definitely isn't the girl I knew three years ago,_ he thought, thinking about their little jokes they shared. He smiled wider. The beach was definitely going to be more interesting now!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Hinata practically skipped back to the lake, even leaping into the air when she knew she was out of sight from Naruto or anyone else. _I can't believe it! I can't believe it!_ she thought ecstatically. _He asked me to hang out with him, at the beach!_ She then grounded to a halt as she registered her next thought. She would have to wear a real swimsuit!

Hinata looked down at her conservative jumpsuit and swallowed. Could she wear a bikini in front of Naruto? She instantly blushed as her heart began to pound rapidly. _Oh no... I couldn't..._ she thought in despair as she glanced down at her large bosom. It would be so embarrassing.

She sighed and began walking. When she reached the lake shore she slipped off her sandals and stuck her toes into the wet sand. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to calm herself by focusing on the sounds of nature around her, but azure eyes kept flashing into her mind. She felt her waist delicately as she thought of his strong arm wrapped around her, and her eyes fluttered momentarily as a girlish giggle burst from her lips. She sighed and let go of herself, opening her eyes to begin walking back out to the water. Everything will be ok, tomorrow will be amazing! She took her fans from the ninja sac tied to her thigh and unfurled them with a flick of her wrists. With a smile, she got into her battle stance and, after checking her posture, swung her arm forward to send out her first attack.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER SIX – THE BEACH**

It was around 10:30 in the morning, and Naruto was just finishing to pack his beach bag. He was dressed in dark navy blue swim trunks and a light blue tee shirt. Everyone was supposed to bring something for a beach picnic, and Naruto and Lee were in charge of bringing beverages. Naruto immediately volunteered to bring water since he had gotten a few crates of water bottles for free from Teuchi and Ayame when they had received a double order by mistake. He had stuffed as many bottles as possible into a large travel bag he had used while journeying with Jiraiya, and planned to carry the other two crates in his arms. He was just pulling on his sandals when he heard a knock at the door.

"Oiiii Naruto! It's Lee!" Came a shout from outside. Naruto chuckled and stood up to walk over to his door. He opened it to reveal a grinning Lee, who was clad in a black tee shirt and forest green swim trunks.

"Hey Lee, what's up? Did you bring the other drinks?" Naruto asked. Lee nodded and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, and Naruto looked over to see a couple of boxes stacked on a wooden trolley that had a rope attached to it.

"Right over there. My mom found that trolley in our supply closet and suggested that we use it to carry all the drinks.

"Ah, good thinking! Although, I'm a little surprised Lee," Naruto chuckled as he scratched his head. "I though you would have wanted to make it into some sort of training and carry the boxes all the way to the..." he trailed off as Lee's eyes widened even more than they usually did.

"Naruto! You are truly a genius! How could I have possibly tried to pass up such an amazing training opportunity!" he cried with intense emotion, fire igniting in his eyes. Naruto sweat dropped and raised his hands in protest.

"No no Lee, we don't have to, it was just a joke-" he started frantically, but Lee was already hauling the boxes of juice and soda into his arms.

"Let's go Naruto! We should run as well to make it even more intense! We will be the first ones to the beach!" Lee shouted with gusto. He began to sprint away at inhuman speed. Naruto groaned and smacked his forehead.

"I really am an idiot." he grumbled with gritted teeth. He turned to yank his bag over one shoulder and toss his orange towel over the other before picking up the heavy crates with a groan. He looked at the trolley remorsefully as he walked away from his apartment, but his stubbornness prevented him from letting Lee show him up, and he began to run.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hinata stared at herself in her full length mirror in her bedroom, which looked like a tornado had hit it in the middle of the night. Different articles of clothing had been flung to every corner of the room in frustration, and clothing drawers had been left pulled out after being violently yanked open. Hinata let go of an exasperated breath that was between a sigh and a growl as she looked at her latest outfit. She had chickened out of wearing any of her bikinis after realizing that her body had developed quite a bit since the last time she wore them, and she nearly fainted as she imagined herself parading down the beach to Naruto looking like she came straight out of Jiraiya-sama's perverted books! Now she had a more conservative violet colored one piece underneath an ivory linen beach cover up dress that had intricate tribal designs embroidered along the hemline, which stopped a couple inches above her knees. To her credit, while the swimsuit was plain in the front with a scoop neckline, it had a halter top and a low back that dropped all the way down to the small of her back, exposing her entire shoulders and back to the world. It was the most risqué look she could manage without feeling supremely embarrassed.

Sighing in defeat, she accepted her look and began to search for her sun hat when she heard someone step into her room. She turned to see her sister Hanabi standing with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised as she took a look at her sister's disaster of a room.

"Uh, nee-san, what happened in here? Where are you going?" she asked in her high pitched voice. Hinata turned back to reach for her hat on a high shelf in her armoire.

"I'm just going to the beach for a few hours with my friends." she said casually, hoping that Hanabi would let her leave it at that. But Hanabi's eyes narrowed at her words and a mischievous smile began to creep onto her face.

"Your friends? Will Naruto-kun be there too?" she said in an overly sweet voice. Hinata cringed and closed her eyes in embarrassment and annoyance.

"Yes, I believe he will be there..." she said curtly.

"Ooooooh!" Hanabi squealed triumphantly at her discovery and proceeded to launch into a tirade of questions. "Does he know you will be there? How many people are going? What are you wearing?" she chattered as she plopped onto Hinata's bed. She looked at Hinata up and down.

"Ugh Hinata, you can't possibly plan to wear that boring swimsuit when you're about to be around a half naked Naruto-kun!" she admonished. Hinata snapped her head around at her younger sister's words, her mouth gaping open, and then she looked down at herself again. Hanabi smirked as she teased her elder sister about the one topic that she knew rendered her practically speechless.

"I already tried on my other suits and I don't want to wear them, they are too... revealing." Hinata said quietly but firmly. Hanabi sighed.

"Fine fine. But at least put a little makeup on for once? You looked so nice with the lip gloss and mascara I put on you last time." Hanabi pleaded. Hinata cocked her head.

"Makeup at the beach? But we will be in the water. It'll just run off my face." Hanabi smiled.

"No it won't! The mascara is waterproof and the lipgloss sticks really well to your lips. You may just have to re apply if you eat. I do it all the time!" she rejoined easily. Hinata looked back at her reflection in the mirror, hesitancy showing on her delicate features. Hanabi took advantage of her silence.

"Great! Wait right there while I go get my makeup bag!" she said happily and jumped nimbly off of the bed and shot out of the room. Hinata sighed and a small smile came to her face at her sister's actions. Hanabi was always trying to find ways to make Hinata confess her feelings to Naruto. While it could be annoying, she knew it was because her little sister wanted her to be happy. She carefully placed her wide sun hat on her head and looked at herself, her smile widening as she thought of her favorite blond haired ninja, and she twirled around to make the skirt of her dress flare around her legs.

Naruto groaned as he finally dropped the crates of water at the perimeter of the area that had been claimed as their spot on the beach. He straightened back up and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked over to Choji and Shikamaru, who had already arrived to begin setting up the large beach blankets they had brought. Lee similarly dumped his boxes next to Naruto's with a grunt. During their rapid dash, Naruto had caught up to Lee and they had raced neck and neck to the beach, not wanting to let the other win. Although Lee's foot touched the sand first when they arrived at the beach, a slight trip he made in the sand as they ran towards their beach spot allowed Naruto to make it first to the beach blankets that Shikamaru was placing on the ground. They had bickered about who won for a few minutes until Shikamaru and Choji finally yelled at them to quit it and help them set up.

Naruto plopped down onto Choji's blanket and looked out at the deep blue sea. In the late August weather there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was already reaching peak levels despite the fact that it wasn't even noon yet.

"Alright! I can't wait to jump into the water and make sand castles and look for seashells and eat some good food!" Naruto cried.

"Heh, good luck trying to get the girls to go into the water. Ino had said that her main goal today would be to tan." Shikamaru drawled. Naruto was about to retort about Ino's ridiculousness when they heard a dog bark nearby.

"Heyy guys!" they turned to see Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino walking over to them.

"Hey Kiba, Shino, you made it!" answered Lee.

"You bet! Is it just you guys here so far?" asked Kiba, who rested his back pack at the edge of the blanket. He was wearing a white tank and black swim trunks with red lining at the seams. Akamaru trotted over to Lee and sniffed his face, causing Lee to giggle.

"Yup, we're just setting up. What did you guys bring for lunch?" asked Shikamaru.

"I brought the sandwich bread as was requested, as well as the ice cooler." Shino responded in his monotonous tone, pointing to a large cooler that he had been carying. Naruto noted in amusement that although Shino had left his usual coat at home, he was wearing a short sleeved off white button down with the collar raised on top of a white tee shirt. His swim trunks were a steel grey color. Naruto swore he saw a trail of tiny black bugs crawl up Shino's shoulder to hide under his shirt.

"Yeah, and I brought the sandwich meat and toppings." said Kiba, pointing to the cooler. "They are in the cooler. We can start sticking a few of the drinks in there too so they don't get warm in the sun."

"Thanks, Kiba!" said Naruto, pulling his bag towards him to start transferring the water bottles to the cooler. The guys spent the next ten minutes setting up while they talked and laughed as they made jokes.

"Let's be honest guys, who is looking forward to seeing the girls in their bikinis." Kiba said with a mischievous grin. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Ugh, not me. It doesn't matter what they are wearing, they are still the same troublesome women they usually are." but Kiba just laughed. "Ah, Shikamaru, you really need to learn how to appreciate the female gender. Come on, Lee knows what I'm talking about, right Lee?" Lee looked down, a tinge of red coming to his face.

"I'm s-sure they will look nice as they always do...especially... S-Sakura-chan." he stuttered, the redness growing into a full on blush. Choji and Kiba laughed. Naruto just shook his head at their folly. He didn't really think about what the girls were going to be wearing, although bikinis obviously made sense given where they were. He had seen enough women in bikinis after being dragged to bathhouse after bathhouse with Pervy Sage during their training journey, So he didn't particularly feel fazed about seeing Ino and Sakura in the skimpy outfits. His thoughts drifted however to Hinata. She was always more conservative in the way she dressed. He wondered if she would wear something similar to her jumpsuit from yesterday, thinking to her training lesson.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Ino, Tenten, and surprisingly Neji. Naruto clambered to his feet upon seeing the Jonin Hyuuga.

"Yo Neji! I didn't know you were coming." Naruto exclaimed, walking up to Neji with a smile. Neji inclined his head slightly at Naruto's welcome. He was holding a large black metal box.

"Yes...Tenten told me about the excursion and didn't give me an option to refuse to come, so I am here." he said, a faint smile appearing on his face as he glanced at Tenten, who came up behind Neji with a cheesy grin.

"Of course not. You have to come and actually be social at least once a year Neji." she teased him, and Neji shook his head with a sigh, his pale Byakugan eyes rolling briefly before looking back at her. He was wearing a plain white tee shirt with black swim trunks, a blue bandanna covering his forehead presumably to hide his caged bird seal. He turned to Ino, who was greeting her mission teammates Choji and Shikamaru.

"Ino, where should I put this?" he called, holding up the metal box.

"Just bring it here by me Neji, thanks!" Ino replied.

"What is that, Ino?" asked Lee as Neji set down the large device. Ino grinned.

"This, my friends, is the real party." she answered with glee. "It's the new music speaker my dad just got as a gift from my uncle who works at a technology company. Just check it out!" She knelt in front of the speaker and began to press a couple of buttons, then turned a dial. Music suddenly sprang from the device, and a foreign tune and beat began to play. A male voice began to sing as a guitar created a laid back rhythm.

"Wow, never heard that song before." said Choji.

"Yeah, its music that's popular in the Caribbean, they call it reggae." Ino said with a grin. "It's perfect for a beach party!" She wasted no time in pulling off her crop top and purple skirt to reveal a fire red string bikini. Kiba watched out of the corner of his eye, then gave Choji and Shikamaru a wolfish grin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Lee shook his head at Kiba, but then perked up at something he saw in the distance.

"Ah, Sakura-chan is here!" se cried happily and began to run across the sand. Naruto, who had been chatting with Neji, paused when he heard Lee's remark. He turned to see Lee racing towards a familiar pink haired girl wearing an even pinker sundress and a straw purse slung around her shoulder. Next to her was another girl in a white dress and straw hat with long black hair. Actually, it was more blue than black...

"Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed. He began to jog over to the two young women coming into view. Kiba raised an eyebrow and looked at Shino. "Since when is he so happy to see Hinata?" he muttered with a frown. Shino remained silent.

A big smile grew on Naruto's face as he slowed while approaching Sakura and Hinata, who had stopped when Lee had all but crashed into Sakura in order to greet her. Sakura was laughing lightly at Lee's enthusiasm. Hinata was also giggling as Naruto came up to her.

"Hello Naruto-kun," she said in her soft voice. She peered up at him from under her wide brimmed sun hat, her hair and ivory a-line beach dress swaying slightly in the ocean breeze.

"Hey, Hinata! You made it!" Naruto exclaimed happily. He then noticed she was holding a large white box in her hands. "Can I help you with that box?"

Hinata looked down and the box and nodded. "That would be nice, thank you." she said as she handed it to him. It had a bit of weight to it. "I picked up some cinnamon rolls at the bakery on my way here. I'm sorry I wasn't able to bring anything homemade." she added in a sheepish tone. Naruto grinned childishly.

"Psht, don't worry about it Hinata! Everyone will love these cinnamon rolls! Great idea for you to bring them since I don't think anyone brought anything sweet. Come on over so you can put down your things." Hinata smiled back and began to walk side by side with him. Naruto turned his head back while they were walking to see Lee and Sakura following them.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, I meant to say hi to you too but Lee was hogging you to himself." he said jokingly. Sakura swatted his arm not too lightly in protest of him teasing Lee, who she knew had a crush on her that surpassed even Naruto's.

The four of them rejoined the larger group, which greeted the latest arrivals. Sakura's happy face changed quickly however when she spotted Ino.

"Ino, I told you not to wear red because I was going to wear red!" she cried in indignation, hands clenching into fists.

"Sorry Sakuraaa," Ino drawled, twirling for effect, "But I just simply had to wear this little number. Don't worry yours probably looks so much better than mine." she said with a cheeky grin. Sakura grounded her teeth in anger. Her swimsuit was nowhere near Ino's in terms of trendiness and sex appeal. She had to beg her mom for an hour just to let her wear such a suggestive color. She stamped over to where Lee was sitting and flung down her bag. Lee grinned as she plopped down next to him, oblivious to her fury.

Hinata stepped gracefully over to Neji.

"Nii-san." she said quietly, smiling up at her closest cousin. Neji nodded at her with a small smile of his own.

"Hinata-sama. I didn't think you'd be here. I heard there was to be another meeting today with your father." Neji said in his deep voice.

Hinata shook her head. "There was, but I was able to convince my father to let me not attend just for today." she replied. "I may have to leave a little early however." Naruto's ears pricked up at her last statement as he joined their conversation.

"Hey, Hinata, are you sure it is ok that you are here? I didn't want to make things difficult for you by asking you to come." Naruto said worriedly. Hinata turned and smiled at him. "It's ok Naruto-kun, I wouldn't have come if it had posed a real problem." she assured him. Naruto smiled back and nodded in relief.

"Alright! Well, it looks like we are all here then!" he said out loud, turning back to the group to look at Shikamaru, who nodded back.

"Yep, this is everyone." he agreed, looking at Kiba. "Oi, Kiba, will you do the honors?" Kiba grinned and jumped up.

"I thought you'd never ask!" He went over to the cooler and rummaged around, the ice and bottles within making a crunching, clinking sound. He finally grabbed hold of what he was looking for and pulled it out with a flourish. Everyone gasped as they got a look at the large champagne bottle in Kiba's hand.

"Ohhhh Kiba, when did you get that?" Ino asked excitedly. Kiba grinned, obviously pleased with himself.

"My dad had a bunch of extra bottles from his birthday last year and he totally forgot about them, since he hasn't touched them in ages! So I swiped a few so we could make this day a little more interesting." He proceeded to unwrap the foil wrapping and grasped the cork firmly with his hand. He grunted as he struggled briefly to pull it out, causing the girls to giggle and the guys to hoot in laughter. The cork finally came out with a loud pop, and foam spewed over Kiba's hand. The group cheered. Choji passed plastic cups to Kiba for him to share the champagne. Ino turned up the music on the speaker, and the gathering turned into a full blown party.

Naruto took two cups of champagne and handed one to Hinata, who took it shyly with a nod of thanks. Naruto took the other cup and touched it gently with hers.

"Cheers, Hinata!" he said with a grin. Hinata smiled back and held her cup a little higher.

"Cheers to you too, Naruto-kun." she said in a slightly raised voice in order to be heard over the music. They both took a sip.

The party carried through into lunchtime. Hinata and Naruto didn't have much of a chance to talk as Hinata was almost immediately pulled into an all-girls circle at one corner of the big blanket to gossip, while Naruto was lured into another physical contest with Lee and Kiba, this time to see who could sprint down to the end of the beach and back first.

All of the girls had since taken off their clothes to remain just in their bikinis, but Hinata still hadn't worked up the nerve to take off her dress. She kept glancing back at Naruto, who was play sparring with Lee. A light sheen of sweat showed on his forehead, and his tee shirt was clinging a bit more to his damp torso, outlining every muscle that flexed as he aimed another punch at Lee's face...

"Hinata! Did you hear me?" Hinata's eyes snapped back to attention, a blush rising to her face as Tenten peered at her closely. Ino and Sakura were also looking at her curiously.

"Ah, no, sorry, what did you say?" Hinata said quickly. Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"I just asked if you were going to take off your dress. Aren't you hot?" she asked. Hinata shook her head.

"No I'm fine, thanks Tenten." She mumbled, her blush getting redder. Tenten's eyebrows raised even higher, but Ino leaned forward with a conspiratorial smirk on her face.

"Come on Hinata, take it off. Show him how drop dead sexy you are." she said with a giggle. Hinata's eyes almost bulged out of her sockets.

"Ino! No!" she hissed frantically, looked back at the group of guys anxiously. Ino cackled while Sakura gave her a sympathetic smile and then glared at Ino. "Leave her be Ino, she is comfortable as she is." Ino grinned and shrugged.

"Fine fine. I just really don't get it though. If I looked like Hinata can you imagine the things I'd wear? I'd have guys tripping over their own feet." she laughed. Tenten giggled and shook her head. "Oh Hinata. Honestly I'm this close to knocking him over the head with one of my clubs. I just can't believe after all these years he still hasn't noticed that you have such a terrible crush on him." Tenten said with an exasperated sigh. Hinata looked down and fidgeted, giving a small sigh of her own.

"It's fine. We've been able to connect more recently and I've been able to get to talk to him more so... it's enough." she said so quietly that the girls strained to hear her over the music. Ino was about to respond but stopped when Choji gave a shout.

"Oi, it's time to eat!" he called, holding up the loaves of bread and containers of sandwich meat. Everyone shouted their approval of his announcement and began to congregate in the center of the blanket. Kiba went to open another bottle of champagne.

Naruto jogged over with Lee to the group. As soon as his feet touched the blanket he reached down to pull off his shirt in one fluid movement, and proceeded to mop his face with it. Hinata's eyes widened as she caught a view of his expansive bare chest and abs. Butterflies exploded in her diaphragm as her eyes swept over his well defined chest, the grooves outlining his abs, his biceps, strong forearms, and above all, the sexy "V" lining the sides of his waist just above his swim trunks.

"Whew, it is scorching out here!" Naruto said to no one in particular. Shikamaru snorted. "Yeah, well no one told you to workout with Lee under the hot sun." he said with an eye roll. Naruto laughed and shrugged. "Hey, gotta get my workout in somewhere today." he responded. He looked over to where Hinata stood, and she quickly turned away, praying for her stomach to stop roiling.

"Hey, after we eat let's take a dip in the water!" Naruto said excitedly. He looked around at his friends, who didn't return his enthusiasm.

"Go in the water? And ruin my hair?" Ino responded. "Not likely!" Sakura and Tenten nodded in agreement. Hinata just looked at them with her head tilted.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Are you serious? We are at the beach and you don't even plan on going in the water? Well, what about you guys?" he cried at the men to his left. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Eh, can't be bothered. Swimming just requires too much exertion. Then the sand will stick to my skin, it would be too troublesome." he sighed.

"Yeah, I plan to do some training with Akamaru after this, so I may go in the water later, but not now." added Kiba.

Naruto looked at Choji, Lee, and Neji in desperation. Choji shook his head.

"I feel sick if I swim within 2 hours of eating." He said. Neji remained silent and looked away.

Lee raised a fist. "I can swim with you Naruto!" Naruto's eyes lit up. "We can see who can swim to that lighthouse and back first!" Lee said with stars in his eyes. Naruto groaned.

"Ugh, Lee, I don't want to race anymore. I just want to swim for fun and cool down." he grumbled. Lee just cocked his head in confusion. Naruto sighed in resignation. _I guess I'll just swim by myself._

The group chatted with each other as they made sandwiches and got refills of champagne. Hinata politely declined the champagne as she knew she didn't need another reason for her face to turn red. After the friends polished off the sandwiches they opened up Hinata's box of cinnamon rolls and happily consumed them, complimenting Hinata on her good thinking. Naruto finally worked his way around the group to sit down next to her, a cinnamon roll in each hand.

"Man Hinata, these are so good! I can't stop eating them!" he exclaimed, his words mostly garbled as he chewed on a huge chunk of cinnamon roll. Sakura glared at his bad manners, but Hinata just giggled, feeling giddy from his nearness. "I'm glad I brought them then Naruto-kun." she replied, struggling to make eye contact with him without ogling his body.

Naruto took a huge swallow and looked at her. "Me too! Are you having fun? I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you that much so far, but Lee and Kiba were asking for a challenge." he said in a slightly raised voice so that the guys could hear him. Kiba stuck out his tongue and Lee just gave him a big thumbs up.

"Oh, no need to apologize. I'm having a great time, it has been nice to just relax for a moment." Hinata said, looking at the group. "I can't remember the last time I did something like this..." she added happily.

Naruto chuckled. "That's good. I feel responsible for you since I'm the one who invited you." he said with a smile, and Hinata blushed and looked down, unable to respond. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. His bare chest was so close! She looked as he turned to reach for a bottle of water, and her breathe quickened as his broad shoulder muscles and biceps flexed within an arms reach. She took a deep breath, and then another. Naruto looked at her as he turned back.

"You ok, Hinata? Hey aren't you hot? Why don't you take off your dress?" Naruto asked. Hinata's breath caught in her throats as his comment, and her blush returned with a vengeance.

"N-no, I'm just fine th-thank you!" she squeaked, laying a hand on her chest to calm her pounding heart. Naruto blinked at her change in tone and her slight stutter. _Did I say something wrong?_

"Ok then, no worries...Do you want some water?" he offered. Hinata smiled weakly at him and nodded, and took the chilled bottle of water that he fished out of the cooler.

The two of them continued to chat for the next fifteen minutes about nothing in particular. Naruto listened attentively as Hinata told him her plans for her next series of lessons after the school break ended. He offered a few suggestions for things to include in the lessons and she gratefully accepted his ideas, even whipping out a small notebook from her purse to write down the ideas to remember later. A warm feeling grew in his stomach as he watched in amazement as Hinata complimented him on his thoughts. He never ever would have called himself smart, but somehow Hinata made him feel like he was a genius. She asked him about his training progress and latest mission and he gave her the highlights of the places he had been and people he had fought. He gestured animatedly and especially focused on his moments of great bravery and prowess. Hinata would just giggle at his exaggerations and congratulate him on his latest accomplishments, and the warm feeling inside him grew. Her attention and kind words were having this effect on him that he couldn't identify. He just enjoyed talking to her so much!

His thoughts were halted as Hinata broke eye contact to look over his shoulder in surprise. Naruto raised an eyebrow and turned to see what she was looking at. Down by the entrance to the beach he saw a group of people running towards them. As they came into sight he saw they were actually a bunch of kids. One in the front had long indigo hair and was waving at him and Hinata.

"I think... that's my sister." Hinata said as she squinted to see the approaching girl better. Sure enough, as she got closer Naruto could see the pupil-less eyes that identified her as a holder of the Byakugan, and a Hyuuga.

"Hiiii nee-san!" The young girl called in a voice that sounded like Hinata's, yet it was even higher pitched, and definitely louder. The rest of Naruto's group began to notice the approaching youths. Included in the new group was Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, and a few others who Naruto recognized as part of Hinata's class.

Hinata sighed inwardly in irritation. Why did her sister have to come and embarrass her like this?

"Hanabi, I didn't realize you were going to come." Hinata said in a low voice when her sister came near. Hanabi just grinned and clasped her hands behind her back in innocence.

"Why nee-san, I just felt a bit left out after you told me you were going this morning, so I decided to come with a few of my friends as well." Hanabi said sweetly. Konohamaru bounded up and stepped in front of Naruto to block his view of Hinata.

"Hi Hinata-sensei! I must say you look quite beautiful today." Konohamaru said with a bow, simultaneously presenting his rump to Naruto's face. Naruto scowled and yanked Konohamaru back by his shirt.

"Oi, twerp, what do you think you're doing crashing our party?" Naruto growled. "This is for the big kids." Konohamaru stuck out his tongue.

"Nuh uh! Anyone can be at the beach! You don't want us to leave right Hinata-sensei?" Konohamaru turned to Hinata with huge puppy dog eyes. Hinata blinked at him and then gave a light chuckle.

"No Konohamaru-kun... of course you can be here." she said softly. Konohamaru's face brightened, and he turned back to Naruto with a smirk. Naruto sighed and dropped Konohamaru unceremoniously to the ground. "You are too nice for your own good, Hinata." Naruto complained. Hinata smiled apologetically and Naruto chuckled.

Hanabi looked back and forth between them with raised eyebrows and a big smile appeared on her face. She noted that as she expected her sister still had not taken off her dress, probably because she was too shy. Time to change that!

"Nee-san, we are going to go into the water. I promised everyone that you would come do 'that thing' that you do in the waves. So you have to come do it!" Hanabi demanded. Hinata raised her eyebrows at her sister's boldness.

"Hanabi...you can't just make decisions like that without asking me first." she protested sternly. Moegi ran up next to Hanabi. "Oh please please sensei! We want to play with you in the water so badly! Just for a little while we promise!" Hinata hesitated at Moegi's hopeful face, and Hanabi snickered inwardly. Just as according to plan.

"Well... alright, I suppose just for a little while." Hinata relented. The group of kids cheered.

Naruto looked at her. "What is 'that thing' that they are asking about?" Hinata looked at him and then down at the sand with a small smile. "It's hard to explain, actually... it's another game." she said vaguely. Naruto's face lit up.

"Alright! Well I'm coming too! Finally someone around here wants to go in the water!" he said loudly for all to hear. Ino, Sakura, and Tenten looked at each other and smirked. The perfect opportunity for Hinata to get close to Naruto had fallen into their laps.

"Oh, well you two go ahead. We will stay to work on our tans." Ino said lazily, leaning back onto her blanket and stretching out for effect. Sakura and Tenten nodded in agreement and laid back as well.

Shikamaru was pulling out a small chess set. "Go ahead Naruto. We will be here." The guys grunted in agreement. Kiba had his head cocked similarly to Akamaru's as he seemed to consider whether or not he wanted to join, but he ultimately didn't move.

Naruto rolled his eyes at his friends and shrugged. "Come on Hinata, let's go-" he began, but stopped when he turned back around. Hinata had already started walking down to the water, but what rendered Naruto speechless was the fact that she had somehow taken off her dress and hat while he had his back turned, and now he could see her swimsuit. It was a purple one piece, but the back dipped so low that he could see her entire back down to just above her hips, which flared out from her tiny waist in proportions he had only seen in Jiraiya's perverted magazines. Her thighs were thick, yet toned, and tapered down to slender calves and finally delicate ankles and feet. As she walked her curvy hips swayed back and forth. Her hair, now freed from the hat, blew wildly in the wind as she made her way to the shore.

Naruto's right eye twitched, and he became aware of his gaping mouth after a gust of wind blew some sand into it, causing him to cough. He thumped his chest with a fist and slowly stumbled forward to follow the group of children led by the young woman his eyes were locked on. As he walked he tried to rationalize what he saw with what he knew about Hinata. The whole time he had known her she always wore conservative clothes that didn't show off her body at all! Even her sundress was rather shapeless and didn't give a clue to what her body really looked like underneath. She did wear the tighter jumpsuit yesterday, but for some reason it didn't define her body in the same way. Maybe the material and the dark color of the suit created a slimming effect. As he caught up to the group, all Naruto could think was one word.

 _DAMN!_

Hinata and the kids began to wade into the water. Konohamaru took a running leap and dove into the oncoming waves, sending up a spray that caused the other kids to scream in shock from the cold water. Hinata sank slowly into the water as she strode steadily forward, not even flinching at the water temperature. Naruto followed at the rear, still keeping his distance as he quietly looked over Hinata once, twice, thrice, barely even noticing the cold water he was sinking into.

Hinata continued to move into the deeper part of the water, causing her to have to start actively swimming, her long hair snaking out behind her. Hanabi and her friends laughed and whooped as they dove and kicked around her. The waves were not very high, perhaps two to three feet, and the group bobbed gently in unison as each wave passed.

Hinata turned to face the beach, and Naruto again felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw how the swimsuit curved around her ample chest. It still wasn't as revealing as Ino or Sakura's bikini tops, but the size of Hinata's chest definitely surpassed all the other girls and the suit wasn't able to hide all of her cleavage. He saw her look at him and raise a hand to indicate that he should come closer, and he mentally slapped himself. What was he doing ogling Hinata, of all people?!

He swam closer to the group huddling around Hinata. "So, what are we going to do?" He asked as he got closer, willing himself to focus solely on Hinata's face. Hinata nodded. "Everyone, spread out into a circle around me." she said. The kids squealed in anticipation as they took their positions in a medium sized circle with Hinata in the center. Naruto backed up so that he was in the circle still directly facing Hinata, looking at her in curiosity. Hinata remained treading water until everyone was in the circle, and then she briefly brought her hands together and closed her eyes. When she opened them she lifted both hands and placed them on the water's surface and pushed down. Naruto's eyebrows raised as he realized she was using chakra to pull herself up to a standing position on the water. Water dripped down her body as she tested her control on the dynamic surface. Naruto just gazed at her, entranced by how she looked dripping wet, watching her as she pushed back a piece of hair that had been sticking to her chest. He gulped as he shook his head rapidly from side to side _. Stop... stop! It's not the first time you've seen a girl in a swimsuit!_

She then put her hands together and began to make hand seals. _What kind of game is this?_ Naruto wondered. Hinata didn't have her fans with her, so what else could she do?

After five or six seals she held her position and closed her eyes in concentration. Suddenly the water at her feet took on a strange quality. It seemed to become rigid in comparison to the normal water around it. The controlled water continued to spread out in a circle from Hinata, reaching father and farther until it reached Naruto and the kids. He drew back briefly as he braced himself, but only felt a gentle sensation as the rigid water wrapped around him, almost feeling like it consisted of a thick oil.

Hinata still had her eyes shut and hands together, her brows furrowed slightly. "Ok, Hanabi, go first." she said. Hanabi perked up and began to push herself out of the water just as Hinata had done, stepping smoothly to her feet, arms out for balance. She giggled as she touched the unmoving water with her toe, which seemed to give slightly before snapping back when she raised her foot again.

"Ok, keep going everyone." Hinata called. Konohamaru grinned as he easily got to his feet, and looked at Udon to indicate he should go next. This went on until the entire group had stood up. Naruto had started to push chakra to his hands and feet to let himself up, but he realized that the rigid water was somehow supporting him anyways. He bent down and pushed the taut surface down experimentally, and it snapped back like a rubber band when he took off the pressure.

He looked back at Hinata. _How is she doing this?_ he thought. He had never seen this kind of jutsu. And she could do it without the fans?

Once everyone was standing, Hinata's brows furrowed even more as she seemed to increase the chakra pulsing down to the water platform she had creating. Naruto could feel the chakra waves moving beneath his feet, and a crooked smile found its way onto his face as he looked at the young woman in newfound admiration. Hinata had truly grown in strength over the years while he had been away.

Finally, Hinata relaxed her arms and opened her eyes. She took a deep breath and pushed her foot firmly downwards, but it did not push through the tough water surface. The normal water that surrounded the perimeter of their platform intermingled with the rigid water as waves continued to crash around them.

Hinata looked up and smiled, nodding at Hanabi. She gave a happy shout and immediately jumped into the air towards Hinata at the center. When she touched down, the water platform descended with her. Naruto lurched forward slightly as the entire platform buckled momentarily, and then stepped back as it snapped back up. Hanabi was catapulted into the sky, squealing with giddiness as she did a backflip. The other children whooped and laughed and began to join in, turning the platform into chaos. Naruto watched with wide eyes as Konohamaru shot up like a rocket and came back down with a yell. Naruto's face cracked into a grin as he saw what Hinata had done: she had basically turned the water into a huge trampoline!

He craned his neck to view her past the bouncing youths. She was looking back at him with a face that seemed to say "yep, this is 'that thing'". He laughed and hopped experimentally, ensuring that the "trampoline" easily supported his weight. He then padded over between the children to reach Hinata.

"Hinata, honestly, I don't think I can call myself Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja anymore." he said with a big smile. "How did you learn how to do this?" Hinata giggled and blushed lightly.

"It's something I've known how to do for a while. I call them water nets. I started making them last summer when I started learning water bending jutsus. They serve a practical purpose, but Hanabi actually was the one who made it fun by suggesting we jumped up and down on them. It actually pushed me to make the nets stronger to support the added pressure. And of course as Hanabi is like to do, she told all of her friends about it, and now they always want me to do it whenever we are by a body of water." she explained. Naruto raised his eyebrows.

"So, are you bending water right now?" he asked in amazement. The girl was just standing there casually, how could she be manipulating the water with chakra? But as he looked her up and down (struggling to not linger on her figure) he couldn't tell how she could be doing it, until he realized her right hand was purposefully angled palm facing downward, fingers splayed apart.

"So, I released enough chakra into the water net in order to make its strong enough to support all of our weights, but once it filled up enough I sealed off the chakra flow, so now all I am doing is holding it in place, which is easier than actively bending the water with chakra." she answered. Naruto frowned as he comprehended her words.

"I see... so, I guess I made it harder for you this time with my extra weight." he said a bit guiltily. She turned her head to face him and smiled. "Don't worry Naruto-kun...I need my own workout today...like you." she said with a giggle. Naruto looked at her in surprise and then grinned at her light hearted words. Before he could say anything else, Hinata pushed off and flew backwards through the air to gracefully land at the other end of the net. She pushed off again to float near her sister, who laughed and tried to reach for her, but just missed as Hinata curved around her with a playful smile.

Naruto laughed at their liveliness and bent his knees to launch himself in the air, feeling butterflies in his stomach as he began to descend back down.

"Wahoo!" he shouted, laughing from the adrenaline rush. He touched down and immediately pushed off again, gaining even more height this time. Konohamaru also had leapt near him and was giggling with glee as well. He swiped to try and catch Naruto's arm, but Naruto easily dodged him with a wily smirk.

The kids quickly turned it into a chasing game where they tried to grab onto him and Hinata. They both soon had their hands full trying to escape about ten energetic youths launching themselves towards them at top speed. Hinata caught Moegi in mid air and gently tossed her away using her momentum, making the girl laugh and scream. Periodically Naruto saw Hinata put out her palm for a few moments, probably to regain her hold on the water net. She didn't show any signs of tiring, however. At a few points they would bounce near each other, capturing each other's gazes. Hinata would be giggling while he would be grinning like a goof, making her laugh more by doing silly poses in the air. Her melodic laughter was... delightful. He realized he really liked it, and wanted to head more of it, which was why he kept up his antics.

"N-Naruto-kun... what is w-wrong with you?" Hinata gasped, giggling as he struck a superhero pose at the peak of his jump. "What do you mean, Hinata?" he said innocently, screwing his face into a number of stupid looks. Hinata let out another peal of laughter and shook her head, looking away to avoid laughing any further. Naruto unscrewed his face and grinned at her. She peeked back and sighed in relief when she realized that he stopped, shaking her head at him again. She glanced to the side and bounced out of the way of a Moegi-sized missile. Naruto couldn't stop himself from watched her chest bounce up and down with her, and he quickly spun around, biting his lip to force himself back to reality. _Man, I just can't stop. How was I supposed to know she looked like this!_ _  
_  
The game continued for thirty more minutes. It was actually quite strenuous work to jump on Hinata's water trampoline. Even with Naruto's immense stamina he was starting to feel a slight burn in his thighs and calves. Soon the kids began to tire out, and Hinata decided to disable her net. She slowly released the chakra that she had been holding tightly, and one by one the group sank back into the ocean, no longer supported by the taut surface. Hinata made a few hand movements to push the tired children towards the shallow water so that they didn't have to swim to shore. Naruto dunked his head in the cool water and came back out, whipping his head side to side to shake the excess off.

"Whew, that feels so good! Man that was crazy! I'm starting to wish my chakra element was water! You can't do so many fun things with wind!" he said, turning to face Hinata. She was floating on her back, her eyes closed and face relaxed. Naruto blinked a few times as his eyes automatically swept over Hinata's floating figure. He looked at her calm face, hair pooled around her like a black-blue cloud, the curves of her chest and hips...

 _No, no, no, no!_ He gritted his teeth and looked away, angry at himself. What was wrong with him?

Hinata opened her eyes and righted herself in the water, her wet hair plastered against her neck and shoulders. She looked at Naruto standing in the water a few feet away, his back to her. Her eyes flickered as she indulged herself in regarding him, lingering on his broad shoulders rounded with muscles and then drifting to the nape of his neck were faint blond hairs could be seen. She wondered if his hair would feel soft or rough in all its wildness...

"I'm glad you enjoyed." she said softly, wondering why he was uncharacteristically quiet. Naruto jumped slightly and turned, rubbing the back of his head with a strange laugh.

"Ha ha, yeah I always have a good time when you're around. I'm glad I told you to come." he said with his sincerest tone of voice. Hinata looked down with a smile and clasped her hands under the water, suddenly very aware that they were alone, Hanabi and her friends having made it back to the beach a few minutes ago.

Naruto looked at the young kunoichi in front of him, her long dark lashes framing her eyes as she looked down as if she were trying to see her feet through the water. "Do you want to get out? Are you tired?" he asked in a soft voice, also aware of their aloneness.

Hinata looked back up at him, and a shiver ran down his neck and spine as her eyes seemed to stare deep into his, into the depths of his soul. He momentarily wondered if she could actually do that with the Byakugan.

"Ok, I'm not tired, maybe a little thirsty." she said in her quiet way.

"Ok, well let's head back!" said Naruto. "Race ya there?" he said jokingly, turning towards the beach. Hinata tilted her head as if to pause in thought.

"Hmm, we could..." she started slowly. Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry Hinata, we don't really have to, I'm just being over excited."

"Ok then...," Hinata said still in that thoughtful tone.

She began to swim forward at a leisurely pace. Just as she passed Naruto she slowed.

"Naruto-kun, there is something I wanted to say..." Hinata said, hesitation in her inflection. Naruto turned to face her.

"Of course Hinata, what is it?" he asked encouragingly. Hinata blushed and a tiny smile came to her face, but he couldn't identify the emotion it conveyed. She turned to face him more completely and swam a bit closer, and then closer. Naruto froze as she came right in front of him, a calm expression on her face. She tilted her head forward at an angle, now so close that Naruto could feel the heat from her body. He could see each and every water droplet on her skin, and as she craned her neck forward his eyes jumped wildly from her eyes to her nose to her mouth and down her neck to her chest. He wrenched his eyes back to her face and opened his mouth to question her, but no words came out. She stopped and turned her head to place her mouth by his right ear. Naruto couldn't move, his chest tight as he breathed shallow breaths. Is she using a water jutsu on me? He thought frantically. Why can't I move?

The smile grew on Hinata's mouth.

"Last one there is an empty bowl of ramen."

Naruto's eyes widened and he whipped his neck to stare at her in confusion and disbelief, and immediately regretted it. Now his lips were just a couple inches from hers.

"W-wha...?" he stuttered as his eyes flashed back and forth from her eyes to her lips, which were full and soft looking. Hinata batted her amazingly long lashes once and began to giggle. Suddenly she launched her body backwards and twisted around to splash away towards the beach. Naruto gaped at her as she swam away nimbly and then gasped as his brain caught up. She was racing him! He barked an incredulous laugh, amazed at her playfulness. How did she go from being her usual quiet self to being a giggling, teasing girl?

He smirked and lunged forward and began to do a powerful free stroke. She had a gain on him - that cheater, he thought with some irritation - but he was making progress. She was almost at the shallow end when he caught up and grabbed one of her ankles, yanking her back. Hinata screamed in surprise and tried to kick off his hand, but he had a vice grip on her. He grinned wolfishly as she turned to look at him in shock.

"Now now, Hinata, you know there's no way I'd ever let myself be called an empty bowl of ramen." he said sweetly. He then pulled her swiftly into his arms. Hinata gasped at the sudden closeness. "What are y-you doing?" she cried. He just smirked wickedly and lifted her out of the water (registering the fact that his left hand was touching her bare back) to toss her back several feet. She dropped into the water with a surprised yelp. Naruto checked briefly to make sure she was ok, and when she surfaced without issue he snickered childishly and proceeded to swim to the shore. He wasn't that far away and was even able to start touching the bottom, but suddenly he realized he wasn't advancing any further. It's like he was walking in place!

He frowned and looked behind him in confusion. He then saw Hinata about ten feet away, her right hand raised making a stirring motion. His eyes widened.

"Hey, no fair! You can't use water bending!" he cried. But Hinata just giggled as he was pulled closer and closer to her, until he finally was drawn behind her.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun!" she called with her tinkly laughter, and she began to swim to the beach as Naruto was held in place by her jutsu. His eyes narrowed as a rueful smile came to his face. It wasn't fair, but then again, ninjas don't really play fair. He could play her game though!

He called upon his chakra and focused it in his hand, concentrating on his wind element. He then made a slicing movement with his right arm. The water constricting around him gave, and then re-formed around him. He gritted his teeth and tried again, throwing more power into it.

"Ha!" This time, the water completely parted in front of him, down to the sea floor. He dropped slightly to the wet ground and began to sprint down the path he had created that led all the way to the shore.

Hinata had been running as well through the shallow water, the water level at her mid thighs, when Naruto broke her jutsu. Her head whipped around as she saw him running clean through an actual road he had created in the water. She turned back and ran with renewed vigor, stepping onto the surface of the water to run on top of it as well. Naruto had caught up and they were at neck and neck. The kids on the beach had noticed their game and were cheering them on, the girls for Hinata and the boys for Naruto (except Konohamaru).

In the last stretch they both took a running leap to the sandy shore, and both hit the ground at the same time. Hinata tumbled gracefully and rolled to a sitting position. Naruto decided to slide like a baseball player, his move digging a deep trench in the sand. The two friends looked at each other and began to laugh. The children ran to them and playfully dog piled each of them.

"I guess this means we are both empty bowls of ramen." Hinata said in between giggles as Hanabi and Moegi laid on top her her.

"What do you mean? I definitely won!" Naruto retorted, grunting as Konohamaru plopped onto his back with a very Naruto-like grin.

"No way Naruto-kun! You both made it at the same time." Konohamaru said smugly. "Hinata-sensei truly won since she actually swam." he added with a sniff.

Naruto shoved him off, earning him an annoyed grunt from the younger boy. "Huh. If you could even call that swimming at the end." he muttered, side-eyeing Hinata. She just looked away with a tiny smile - or smirk? - and shrugged as she wrung water from her hair. Naruto snorted and rolled his eyes, still watching her out of the corner of his eyes as she pulled her hair back and proceeded to put it in a high bun using a hair band on her wrist. Wet tendrils that were not completely captured by the hair band framed her face. It was slightly messy, but he liked the look. Hinata practically never put her hair up. Hinata started to turn back to him and he quickly looked away.

He jumped to his feet. "Let's go to the others for some drinks." Hinata nodded and began to stand up.

"Wait nee-san! Can we do some sand castles, pretty please?" said Hanabi in her singsong voice. Moegi and Konohamaru oohed and nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Yes, sand castles! Please sensei?" said Moegi. Konohamaru and Udon fell to their knees clasping their hands to beg, puppy dog eyes on their faces.

Hinata looked at the group and laughed softly, shaking her head. "You guys really don't stop do you?"

"Oi, brats, let Hinata take a break. She is here to relax not to cater to your every whim." said Naruto with his arms crossed, frowning disapprovingly to the rambunctious group. But Hinata just chuckled.

"It's ok, I'll do a few with them." she said cheerfully. Hanabi and Moegi cheered while Konohamaru and Udon smacked a high five. The youths scrambled to their feet to pick out an optimal spot to begin digging.

Naruto looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Are you sure? Don't you want to go sit with the girls?" he asked doubtfully.

"I am sure." She reassured. "I like to make them happy... and sand castles are fun." she added with a smile. Naruto chuckled and looked back at their own group of friends. The girls were still tanning and the guys were still playing their board games. He rolled his eyes. Sand castles were definitely more fun than whatever they were doing!

"Well I'm going to help too. Better than laying around cooking in the sun like those lugs. Plus I've never gotten to make a sand castle before." he said, wincing as he added that last part. He didn't like reminding himself of why he never got to make a sandcastle.

Hinata caught the meaning of the end of his statement too and smiled warmly.

"Well, then you must join us then. I think you'll be in for a treat." she said, another mysterious smile gracing her lips. Naruto grinned.

"Alright! Well I'll go grab us some water and see what food is left." he said, jumping up to jog back to the picnic area. Hinata sighed happily as she watching him stopped to shake water on the tanning girls, causing them to scream in surprise and annoyance. This day was just getting more and more amazing by the minute! She didn't know what came over her to challenge him to a race in the way she did. Perhaps it was the remaining adrenaline from jumping on the water net. Or maybe it was the champagne. She knew that when she was in the water she felt different - stronger, calmer, more clear headed. She blushed as she thought of how strong his arms felt around her when he grabbed her to throw her in the ocean.

"Hinata-sensei! Come over here!" called Moegi. Hinata turned to see her energetic students already midway through building a lumpy looking horse. She smiled with a little giggle. It was always a horse.

Five minutes later, she was helping them better define the head when Naruto walked over.

"Sorry Hinata. Ino, Sakura and Tenten kept asking me all these annoying questions..." he mumbled, slipping down into a cross legged position besides her and handing her an ice cold water bottle. The girls had launched question after question about what he and Hinata were doing in the water. He had retorted that they could see for themselves since they weren't that far away from the water, they were just swimming around! He was nervous they caught him looking at Hinata a bit too much. They wouldn't tell her, would they? He set a large bag of chips between them. Immediately a horde of little hands jammed themselves into the bag. Naruto immediately snatched the considerably lighter bag away, glaring at the kids who already were back at building their masterpiece. He raised an eyebrow as he figured out what they were constructing.

"Is it... a horse?" he asked, bending to look closely at the sand animal's face. Hinata smiled and nodded as she pinched one of the ears to look more pointed.

"Yes, it's a horse. It's one of their favorite things to build it seems." she replied.

Naruto snorted in amusement. "I thought it was supposed to actually be a castle, with a moat and towers." He said, cupping some wet sand in a bucket to start adding to the horse's haunches. "It's pretty life sized though." he commented.

"Yes, it will have to be for what we will do after it's done." said Hinata in her whispery voice. She looked at him with her strange smile again, and he regarded her curiously. "What do you mean? What do we do with it once it's done?"

"Shhh, sensei, don't tell him! It will be a surprise!" said Moegi with a grin, giggling when Naruto looked back at her with an eyebrow raised. He smiled and added more sand to the rump.

"Fine fine, I'll just be paaaatiennntt." he said, emphasizing the last word to show how impatient he actually was. The girls giggled and kept working away. Hinata and Naruto barely exchanged words other than Hinata giving him some building directions as the children distracted them from having a decent conversation.

Naruto finally gave in to allowing himself to sneak looks at Hinata whenever she was turned away. He just couldn't help it. Realizing she had this amazing body and apparently a playful, relaxed persona made his mind race as he rediscovered this girl that he has known his whole life. She was so easy to talk to. She didn't get exasperated with him when he made silly jokes like Sakura. She was patient and kind hearted and amazing with the kids. They practically worshipped her, even her sassy sister. When she got up to go get sunblock, he struggled to not ogle her as she stepped daintily to their group of friends. He never enjoyed watching a girl walk away from him this much!

When she got back, Hanabi stood up and dusted the sand from her hands and knees.

"Nee-sama, I think it is ready!" she said as Hinata returned. Hinata looked over the sand castle horse. It was sculpted to appear in a sitting position, its head resting on the ground and turned inwards as if it were sleeping. Two blue seashells were embedded in its head as makeshift eyes.

"Yes, this looks good enough." she agreed. The children shouted in excitement and approval as they began to scramble to their feet and back away from the sculpture. Naruto got to his feet too.

"Alright so, you gotta tell me now. What left is there to do with this thing?" he said to Hinata, curiosity embedded in his tone. Hinata glanced at him and chuckled softly. "You'll just have to wait and see. It is another one of "those things"..." she said. Naruto tilted his head slightly at her response, and then began to grin in anticipation. He was quickly learning that the inexplicable things Hinata could do were well worth the wait.

While Naruto and the kids remained standing, Hinata went back to sitting cross legged in front of the sand horse. She took a bucket of sea water they had been using to wet the sand and set it in front of her. She then performed a short series of hand seals.

She placed her hand above the bucket, and the water began to rise slowly from its container to hover in the air. She then used her hand to direct the water to the horse. Once above the sculpture, the water stretched into what resembled a thin blanket. She raised her other hand to fully stabilize the formation, and then slowly began to lower the water blanket down to the horse, breathing deeply.

Naruto watched in fascination as the water blanket literally swaddled the sand horse from head to tail, tucking itself around the edges that disappeared under the sculpture. The water sat on top of the horse for a few moments until it began to descend into the horse's body, leaving the horse considerably darkened from the moisture. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment. Hinata had her eyes closed in concentration as she appeared to be feeling the air with her hands. Naruto opened his mouth to ask a question, but stopped as he saw the anticipated faces of the kids around him. It seemed something else was about to happen.

Suddenly Hinata simultaneously stabilized her hands and opened her eyes. She began to make intricate hand movements, almost like she was playing with the strings that held up an invisible puppet. Amazingly, the strangest thing happened: the sand horse moved! Naruto jumped slightly and blinked a few times; was his mind playing tricks on him? But the horse's head suddenly twitched again!

The children began to squeal and laugh in delight. Naruto backed up even more as the horse magically came to life. It slowly raised its head and turned to look straight at Moegi, who squeaked in giddiness and skipped behind Udon. Hinata continued her hand motions as she slowly stood up. As she stood, the horse began to roll onto its hooves, loose sand sprinkling from its body to the growing and flowing into the wind. Naruto watched awe-struck as the horse straightened to stand on its four sandy legs, its long tail and mane made of seaweed swishing gently in the sea breeze.

"How... just how... are you... doing this?" Naruto struggled to speak as the children swarmed the now-alive sand horse that stood a foot higher than him. Hinata, who had relaxed her complex hand movements as the horse came to a sturdy standing position, looked at the shocked blond next to her with a modest smile.

"It's simple when you think about it. Basically I am animating the sand with water bending. I saturated the horse with excess water so that I could both hold the sand together and move it to make the horse seem alive using water." she said as the horse bent its head to nuzzle Konohamaru's forehead, causing him to giggle madly.

Naruto computed her words as he stepped hesitantly towards the horse. He gingerly patted its jaw, and its head swung towards his touch. He laughed in surprise as he switched to patting its nose. "It moves just like a real horse though." he said in wonder. "How do you make it so believable?"

Hinata hummed as she thought of a response. "Well, I've been around many horses since we have a large ranch on the Hyuuga estate. And I've done this so many times with the students now that I suppose I'm good at being a horse." She said with a small giggle.

Hanabi turned to her sister. "Come on, nee-sama, we want to ride!" she said in a whiny voice. Hinata frowned as she looked at her sister. "Ok Hanabi! Don't be so demanding!" she said with a slight huff. Naruto chuckled at their sisterly bickering.

Hinata made the horse kneel its forelegs in a semi sitting position so that Hanabi and Moegi could jump onto its back. They screamed in excitement as the horse stood back up. After Hanabi secured her hands tightly around the seaweed mane and Moegi wrapped her arms around Hanabi's waist, Hinata made the horse take a few steps. When the horse remained intact, she allowed it to move into a slow trot towards the shore. Naruto watched as the horse moved very horse-like with the two young girls on its back. Hinata pushed it into a canter and had it run up and down a section of the beach until she hand it come back. The girls slid off, still laughing and trying to fix their wind blown hair.

Hinata operated the sand horse long enough to allow all of the kids to have a ride. She was able to sit back down and almost absentmindedly control the horse while she got a chance to talk with Naruto relatively uninterrupted. After she had answered his long list of water bending questions, the topic turned back to him, and after talking about his training they somehow arrived at the subject of Sasuke.

"Tsunade baa-chan keeps saying she hears reports of Orochimaru moving from one country to the next and that it is possible that Sasuke is with him, but for months it's been impossible to catch up with them." he said bitterly. "I feel like they are always two steps ahead of us. Somehow we just keep messing up. And Baa-chan keeps putting me on bogus missions because she is still all worried about the Ak-" Naruto halted his words as he realized with a shock that he almost released top secret information. He couldn't let people know about the Akatsuki after him because then they'd want to know why, and he couldn't just say it was because there was an immensely powerful nine tailed demon fox stuck inside of him. He glanced nervously out of the corner of his eye at Hinata, who had cocked her head when he had abruptly stopped talking. He babbled for a moment as he struggled to find a believable ending for that last sentence when Konohamaru managed to save him.

"Hinata sensei! Can we make a castle now?" the boy yelled as he huffed up a sand dune to where Naruto and Hinata were sitting. Hinata, who was thoroughly enjoying her alone time with Naruto, blinked hard a few times to come out of her daydreamy state.

"Oh... sure Konohamaru-kun. Are we done with the horse?" she said slowly, reluctantly bringing back her attention to the sand horse which was still prancing around by the water with three kids on its back.

"Yeah, let's do the castle! Hey Naruto-kun, you gotta see this one - we built a big castle and we make little soldiers and princesses and Sensei makes all of them move and act out stories!" Konohamaru babbled. Naruto laughed at the overexcited boy in front of him and leaned back in the sand on his elbows. The mid-afternoon sun was already beginning to make its descent in the sky, gradually elongating the shadows caused by the palm trees and illuminating half of their bodies in a warm glow. Every time Hinata turned to face him he was enchanted by her sunlit face and the way her eyes took on a deep shade of violet. He could barely make eye contact with her at times as she listened to him and him only. He watched as she brought the sand horse back over and, with a simple wave of the hand, relinquished her control on the sand particles. The horse slumped immediately to the ground in a huge heap of damp sand, the three kids that had been riding falling neatly with it. They shouted in surprise and disappointment as their makeshift toy disappeared.

Hinata giggled softly as the children swarmed her, pressing her to do it again as she got up and stretched her arms and legs. Naruto sighed as he got up to do the same, looking over at his friends to see what they were doing. Sakura and Tenten had finally went into the water, while Ino was trying to make Choji dance with her to a particularly fast reggae song.

Hinata stepped closer to him. "So some of the girls finally decided to go in the water huh?" she said in an amused tone. "I think I'll go join them for a minute." Naruto turned and smiled. "Yeah! Let's go down." he agreed. The pair began to walk together after Hinata placated the youths by telling them to build the castle while she took a dip.

"I can't believe you deal with them practically every day, how do you do it? I'm exhausted just after spending a few hours with them." Naruto complained as they walked to the shoreline. Hinata laughed lightly and shrugged.

"I know. They are definitely a handful, and it isn't easy being a sensei. I get frustrated a lot too. But, it all becomes worth it when I see their faces change as they understand something they had been struggling with for a long time. That change is what I live for." she said with a contented sigh. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. _Well, at least one of the things I live for!_

Suddenly, Hinata's left foot slid forward as she attempted to walk over a sand dune that was steeper than it appeared, and she pitched backward as she lost her balance. She gasped and flung out both arms to attempt to steady herself, but she was already falling too quickly, and she shut her eyes as she prepared for impact...

...But it never came. She hesitantly opened her eyes, only to see deep blue ones once again inches from her own. In the split second that it took her to fall, Naruto had reflexively reached out to catch her. One of his arms was holding her up securely from her upper back, while his other hand was grasping one of hers firmly. From their position, it looked like he was dipping her like a ballroom dancer dipped his female partner.

Naruto chuckled softly. "It looks like the water bender needs to work on her land legs." he said in a teasing voice. Hinata opened her mouth as her mind raced to find a witty comeback, but she could barely think with Naruto's handsome face so close to her own blushing one.

"Thank... you..." she managed to activate her vocal cords as Naruto righted her back to a standing position. His arm was still around her even though she no longer needed the help. Hinata blinked and looked up at Naruto, who was still looking at her with a lopsided smile. She felt her face growing even warmer. "Naruto-kun...?" she ventured. Naruto tilted his head and then gave a small noise of surprise when he realized he was still holding her.

"Oh, uh, sorry, ah ha ha..." he said with a strange laugh, placing a hand behind his head. He made to keep walking towards the water when he saw Neji waving at them out of the corner of his eye.

"Hinata-sama! There is a message for you." called the male Hyuuga. Hinata turned to look at her cousin in confusion, and then cocked her head to look past him. By the entrance to the beach she saw a person that she recognized to be a member of the Hyuuga branch family. The man was waving at her, indicating for her to come closer. A sense of dread descended on her. Oh no, what could he want?

She glanced at Naruto, who was frowning at the sight of the newcomer, and began to walk as quickly as possible to the messenger. As she neared him, he stated his message.

"Hinata-sama, your father has requested your presence at a clan meeting that is occurring in thirty minutes." Hinata gasped. Thirty minutes!

"I thought that meeting was canceled!" Hinata protested. "Why the last minute change?" The messenger shook his head. "I'm not at liberty to say, my lady." he said in a monotonous voice. Hinata subconsciously clenched her fists in anger. Her father was doing this just to prove a point! She sighed and turned around to see Neji looking at her with a neutral face. A few meters away, Hanabi was standing watching the exchange, a worried look on her face.

Hinata started walking to her. "Hanabi, we need to go." Her younger sister's mouth opened in surprise momentarily before closing again to press her lips firmly in a thin line, and she gave a slight nod. She knew better than to waste energy protesting a summons from their father. She gave a small wave to an equally surprised Konohamaru and their friends and began to follow her elder sister to gather their things.

Naruto had watched the interaction and felt the happiness disperse within him as he watched Hinata put her dress back on. He began to jog to catch up with her.

"Hey, Hinata! What happened?" he asked. "Do you have to leave?" Hinata looked up at him, and his last hope died as he saw the disappointment on her face that answered his question.

"But, why?" he asked again, his shoulders slumping slightly.

Hinata gave a small sigh. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I thought I didn't have to meet with my father today, but it looks like he... changed his mind..." she said, her voice gaining an uncharacteristically sharp edge towards the end of her sentence.

Naruto frowned at Hinata's obvious reluctance. "Well why cant you meet later? It's not like he is your boss, for Kami's sake!" he argued. Hinata gave a short, ironic laugh. "Well, in my world, he kind of is." she said sadly. Naruto blinked as he took in her words.

"Thank you again for inviting me, Naruto-kun. I... had a really good time." she mustered.

Naruto forced a smile and shoved his hands in the pockets of his swim trunks. "Of course Hinata, I'm really glad you were able to come, even for a little while." he said honestly. A faint blush rose to Hinata's cheeks as she offered him a real smile. She then turned to Hanabi to indicate she should start walking. Hinata turned to the rest of their group.

"Goodbye, everyone!" she called. The guys looked up and waved back. Sakura and Tenten, who had just come back from the water, waved back at Hinata, their faces confused as they didn't know why she was leaving so soon. Tenten ran up to Neji, who was also preparing to depart, to ask him why he was leaving.

Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon ran up to Hinata and slid to a halt in front of her, blocking her exit.

"Are you going to come back sensei?" asked Moegi with her puppy dog eyes. Hinata smiled down at her.

"I'm sorry Moegi, I have to attend to some things at home that will most likely take he rest of the day, so I won't be coming back." Hinata said in what she hoped was a positive, soothing tone. But her three students looked down dejectedly. She bent down and ruffled Konohamaru's hair gently.

"I'll be seeing you all soon." she said with a smile. Konohamaru looked up and smiled back. "Enjoy your break, and continue to practice your jutsus when you can." The three kids straightened and bowed quickly. "Hai!" they shouted automatically. Hinata smiled wider and stood back up, looking at Naruto.

"Bye..." she said softly. Naruto smiled back and nodded. "Later, Hinata." he responded. He watched as she turned and began to follow Hanabi and the Hyuuga messenger, who had already started heading towards the village. Neji followed behind her, nodding a goodbye to Naruto.

The departure of the three Hyuugas left a bit of a damper on both the older and younger parties. Naruto asked the guys if they wanted to join him for another dip in the water, to which they finally agreed. But even as he floated on his back while Lee tried to persuade Choji to see who could hold their breath longer, all he could see were lavender eyes and long indigo hair. And when he thought back to the moment he caught her in the sand, a fluttery feeling formulated in his gut. His breath hitched as he experienced the unfamiliar sensation. No! He thought anxiously. I can't think of her that way! He closed his eyes and allowed himself to sink beneath the surface, air bubbles flowing from his nostrils as he descended. In the muted underwater world, all he could think about was Hyuuga Hinata. With his eyes closed, he visualized her side profile from when they were sitting side by side as she made the sand horse move. He recalled her calm, attentive visage as she had listened to him talk about random, unimportant things, and the fluttery feeling intensified. Despite himself, the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER SEVEN – THE DREAM**

Naruto yawned and stretched, wincing slightly as he forgot to mind his left shoulder that got dislocated in his last mission, a C rank engagement that quickly turned to B rank when the enemy they were pursuing ambushed them with reinforcements. While they ultimately came out successful, Naruto's shoulder had to be reset after popping out when an enemy swung him around violently by his arm. Ino, serving as their team's medic nin, had popped it back in for him, but he still went to the hospital when they got back to get it looked at. Luckily after a night's rest he was almost back to normal. His stomach rumbled loudly. His mind instantly thought ramen, and he lazily slid out of his bed to pad over to his kitchen. He rummaged through the pantry but all he found were empty instant ramen cups.

 _Damn it_ , he thought irritatedly. Now he was paying the price for procrastinating on grocery shopping yet again. He reluctantly trudged over to his bathroom to freshen up and dress.

Naruto was piling chicken and beef instant ramen cups into a basket when he heard someone speak behind him.

"Ramen again, Naruto-kun?" He turned to where the voice came from and smiled automatically when he saw Hinata walking down the aisle towards him, a smile of her own on her face as she looked at his basket.

"Hey! Don't judge me Hinata." Naruto laughed. "It's nice to see you, I don't think we've seen each other since the beach..." he instantly regretted his last words as images of Hinata in her swimsuit popped into his mind, but he forcefully pushed them away. He looked at her. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress with skinny shoulder straps that hit just above her knees. Around her shoulders was a white shawl to keep her warm in the early September weather. While it wasn't skintight, his new knowledge of what she looked like underneath changed everything he thought about her appearance.

 _Pretty..._ Naruto thought, and then mentally slapped himself; he was staring AGAIN.

Hinata nodded. "Yes I know, I'm sure Tsunade has been keeping you busy on missions."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, she definitely has. I finally have a few days to myself this week though." He looked at the items in Hinata's basket. Milk, eggs, flour...

"Looks like you are doing breakfast shopping too." Naruto said with a smile. Hinata shook her head.

"Not quite, I'm shopping for some ingredients so I can bake some cookies for Moegi's birthday tomorrow." she responded, taking her items from him with a nod of thanks.

Naruto grunted in amusement as he scooped up a few more ramen cups. "That's really nice of you Hinata! You really do care about those twerps, ahem, I mean, your students huh?" Hinata smiled and shook her her head again at his joke.

"Of course! It's more like a reward for all of their hard work. It is great to see them progress so much." she answered.

Hinata watched Naruto continue to pile ramen into his basket.

"Naruto, do you really need that much ramen?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Naruto chuckled.

"Kinda. I haven't shopped in a while so I don't have anything else to eat at home." he explained.

Hinata automatically replied: "Really? I could make something better than ramen for you." Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" he grinned. Hinata blushed furiously. She couldn't believe she said that!

"Well yeah. Pancakes, omelettes, basic things." she murmured. Naruto's smile widened even further.

"Ok! Well I'll hold you to that then. I haven't had pancakes in a while!" he smirked, folding his arms as he waited for her reply.

Hinata balked. Cook for Naruto? Where? In his apartment?

"Do you want me to do it today?" she asked cautiously.

Naruto shrugged. "Well, I'm ready whenever you are! Are you free? It's Sunday after all." He grinned mischievously, knowing that she was falling into his trap. This wasn't like how he would trap Pervy Sage though. This was Hinata. He was just having a little fun with her. But he secretly wanted her to agree...

"Well yes... I'm free this morning." said Hinata. "I could come by..-"

"Great!" Naruto said brightly, happy that he won, and struggling to hide his relief and elation that he was about to spend more time with her. "Well let's check out and then we can head to my place!" Hinata just nodded robotically. How did this happen? She just wanted to pick up a few things from the store. She didn't plan to run into Naruto and head to his house to make him breakfast!

They checked out and then started walking to Naruto's apartment. Naruto insisted on holding all of the grocery bags.

They chatted about Naruto's latest mission. Hinata expressed concern about Naruto's injured shoulder, but Naruto insisted he was fine, flexing the shoulder for show. Hinata giggled and Naruto grinned, ecstatic that he got a positive reaction out of her.

They reached Naruto's apartment and Naruto fumbled for his keys. Upon entering Hinata quickly realized that Naruto's apartment mirrored the typical "man-cave". It was messy, with ramen cups literally everywhere. Naruto saw Hinata look around and coughed in embarrassment. He didn't think about the fact that his place was a mess. Hinata was practically royalty in Konoha, how could he bring her into a place like this?

"Ahh, hehe. Sorry Hinata. I've been away for a while and haven't had the chance to clean up." he said lamely. Hinata shook her head and smiled.

"It's ok Naruto-kun. I'll start putting things together." she said in an easygoing tone. Naruto sighed in relief. It was so easy with Hinata!

Naruto set the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and Hinata began pulling out what she needed.

"Naruto-kun, where are your spices? And your pots and pans?"

Naruto pointed to the relevant cabinets. He was surprised he remembered where those things even were, seeing as how he never cooked. He silently thanked Kakashi-sensei for forcing him to buy "regular people" things one time long ago.

Hinata soon got to work, cracking eggs into a bowl and mixing in milk and spices. In another bowl she mixed flour and eggs and milk for pancakes. Naruto hovered behind her, watching her critically.

"How do you know how much of each ingredient to put?" he asked. Hinata smiled. "Well I have a few cookbooks at home that showed me the recipe. I've made these things so many times now that I don't really need to read the recipe each time." she replied. She looked at him, sensing his endless curiosity. "Would you like to help?" she asked with a smile. Naruto looked at her, the lightest blush appearing on his face.

"Ah, heh, sorry Hinata. I wanted to offer it's just, I've never truly cooked anything before." he said with a nervous laugh. Hinata looked at him and then giggled. He's so cute when he is embarrassed!

"It's ok Naruto-kun, obviously I will help you." she said, a twinkle in her eye. Naruto blinked at her and smiled as a look of confidence returned to his face. "Ok! Just tell me what to do!"

Hinata showed him how to crack an egg without getting eggshells in the batter. She showed him how to prepare the pancake mix and added cinnamon while he stirred. She then heated up a pan and, after adding a pat of butter, poured a bit of batter and showed him how to flip a pancake when it was ready. After a few botched attempts, Naruto managed to get the hang of it, and she had him own the pancake flipping while she cleaned up the used dishes and heated up the oven to toast some bread. All the while they talked animatedly. Hinata told him about how she would experiment in the kitchen, and shyly described her own culinary mistakes, and they laughed together. At one point, she stepped around him to place another utensil in the sink, and he caught a whiff of her flowery scent. He reactively breathed deeply to take it in, momentarily forgetting the pancake sizzling in front of him until he heard her soft voice say "Naruto-kun! It's finished now!"

Within 30 minutes, breakfast was ready. They had made fluffy pancakes with scrambled eggs and toast. Hinata was pouring orange juice as Naruto sat down at the table.

"Wow Hinata, you made a feast! I honestly didn't expect you to do all this!" Naruto said, surveying the breakfast layout with excitement. Hinata giggled softly.

"It's nothing really, Naruto-kun, and we worked on it together. It's just scrambled eggs and pancakes." Hinata said modestly, blushing at his neverending compliments.

"No really, this looks amazing! And please I barely helped! Come sit down now, I'll clean up later." Naruto smiled encouragingly at her, reaching to tug her arm away from the sink where she was stacking the utensils and other things they had used while cooking. _They are so soft,_ he noted subconsciously as his fingers brushed her forearm. Hinata blushed at his faint touch and acquiesced. She couldn't believe how easy it was to be around him now. She didn't feel nervous at all! She just felt excited to be with him.

Hinata turned and came to sit down in the chair Naruto pulled out next to him. She gathered her dress around her legs so that it didn't rise up as she sat. Naruto quickly glanced at her appearance out of the corner of his eyes, not wanting to be obviously staring. Her shoulders were so small that one of the thin straps kept falling as she moved, and she had to keep reaching up to secure it back on her shoulder. The dress stopped just at her knees and revealed her smooth, creamy legs. Her lavender scent mixed with the smells of the food. His chest rose and fell as he took a few deep breaths, wrenching his eyes away to focus on his plate.

Naruto took his first bite of the pancakes.

"Mmmmm, Hinata, this if amafinguh!" he commented with his mouth full, making more noises of contentment. Hinata giggled a bit louder.

"On a scale from one to ten… how good are they?" she said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. Naruto swallowed and looked at her. They grinned at their shared inside joke.

"A nine..." Naruto began. Hinata raised her eyebrows. "But only because I helped. If you had done the pancakes by yourself they would have been perfect." he chuckled, looking at the few misshapen pancakes on his plate. Hinata giggled and bit her lip as she looked at the oddly formed pancakes on her plate. "I'd say they are a ten." she murmured. Naruto looked at her in surprise, and then laughed softly. "Well if you like them, that's all that matters." he replied. Hinata looked at him briefly and looked back down at her plate, trying to quell the fluttering in her stomach.

As they ate they talked more in depth about Hinata's opinions on education.

"Konoha has one of the best educational systems out of all of the hidden villages," Hinata said. "But we still could do better in the way we deliver the lessons to the students and the amount of funds we invest in educational programs. There used to be a huge arts fund back during our parent's time that allowed students to pursue other ninja arts like calligraphy jutsus and musical jutsus. But those programs lost funding about 20 years back, so we don't have them anymore." Hinata said. Naruto scowled as he took in her words.

"How could Tsunade baa-chan overlook this?" he asked angrily. "If it is an important part of child education, why wouldn't she restart the program?"

Hinata calmly sipped her green tea. "Well, Orochimaru's attack on Konoha a few years back didn't help the cause. A lot of our extra emergency funds were used on the reconstruction effort." she said. "The arts program just hasn't been high on the list of priorities for the village leadership. I've mentioned it to her once, but she basically told me the same thing that I'm telling you."

Naruto frowned and looked down at his empty plate. "If I was Hokage right now, I would definitely continue the arts programs."

Hinata smiled at him. "I know you would." Naruto looked up at her, and they shared a look. Naruto gave her a small smile, yet again unsure of what to say. Somehow Hinata kept managing to catch him off guard. He fiddled with his fork. Hinata stood to start collecting the dirty dishes. He quickly got to his feet as well.

"Sit Hinata. I will clean." he said. Hinata looked at him and smiled at his courteous manners. "Please, let me help you." she said back. Naruto chucked lightly and relented. They piled the dishes into the sink, and Hinata began to wash them while Naruto dried with a dish cloth. They chatted here and there, but otherwise worked silently, the quiet atmosphere void of any awkwardness. They felt comfortable in their friendly silence. Occasionally her shoulder or hand would bump his as she handed a dish to him, and he found himself inching closer just to increase the chance of such trivial touches. He would covertly eye her form the corner of his eyes, noticing new things like the specific curvature of her nose. _Even her nose is cute!_ he thought in despair.

They finished cleaning the dishes and clearing the dining table. Hinata began wiping down the countertops.

"Oh Hinata, don't bother, I'll clean the rest later." said Naruto. Hinata paused and looked around at the messy apartment.

"It's ok Naruto-kun. I know a better way." Naruto frowned slightly at her words. What did she mean?

Hinata walked to the far corner of the living room, and beckoned him to come with her. Naruto slowly walked her way.

"Uh, Hinata, what are you doing?" he asked, thoroughly confused. She just smiled.

"Just watch." she said cheerfully. She then proceeded to make a series of hand seals. Naruto raised his eyebrows and uncrossed his arms quickly. Was she about to use chakra in his apartment?

"Erm, Hinata, I don't think..." he started, but trailed off as Hinata completed her set of hand seals. She then raised her right arm to shoulder height and swept it slowly across the room.

Naruto's living room suddenly came to life. Ramen cups and food wrappers started swirling into the air. Dust and crumbs from under the couch and around the kitchen flew out and swirled along with the larger trash pieces. Naruto watched with his jaw hanging open and his back pressed against the wall as the dust tornado grew larger and larger in the center of his living room, sucking all of the particulate matter from every inch of his home. Hinata then brought her arm forward with her palm outstretched. She slowly began to close her hand, and the dust tornado began to shrink smaller and smaller, the trash matter packing closer and closer together into a dense cube. She then quickly pulled in her arm, and the activity came to a halt. She waved her hand to make the dust cube float into her awaiting hands. She walked casually over to Naruto's garbage can and dropped the cube neatly into the trash.

Hinata took a quick look around. Naruto's floor was sparkling. Without all the trash his apartment actually looked more inviting and comfortable.

Naruto stood there with his jaw still open. Did Hinata just use chakra to clean his place? She did it so fast that even with twenty kage bunshins he still couldn't have cleaned the place so quickly!

"Hinata. How. Did you. Do that." Naruto gasped. "What kind of jutsu cleans the apartment?"

Hinata giggled at his face. "It's a special jutsu that the maids use in the Hyuuga compound. I once asked them how they do it and they taught me so that I could clean my own room quickly. It comes in handy a lot  
more than you would think."

Naruto just stared in shock. He bent down shakily to touch the floor with his index finger and rubbed it with his thumb. It was perfectly clean. He turned back to Hinata in awe.

"Hinata, I think we need to hang out more." Hinata's eyes sparkled at his words and she covered her mouth with her hand as she let out a burst of laughter that was music to his ears.

"Really? So that I can come clean your place more often?" she said with another laugh. Naruto grinned and began to laugh as well.

"No no, obviously not that! But, I just feel like I really don't know anything about you! We've known each other for so long, yet I feel like I've learned more about you in the last few weeks than I have our whole lives!" Hinata's cheeks reddened and the butterflies awoke in her chest.

"Well, I'm happy to spend time with you whenever I can Naruto-kun" she said, speaking a half truth. _I really want to spend time with you at every waking moment!_ She thought.

Naruto smiled happily at her statement and took a deep breath as he strained to calm the nervous feeling in his stomach. He watched as Hinata packed away her personal grocery items, and began to deflate realizing that Hinata was going to leave.

"Thank you for cooking for me, Hinata." Naruto said quietly. "Where are you going now?"

"You're welcome Naruto-kun. Thank you for inviting me over. I'm going to head home now and start baking the cookies. I also have to attend a clan meeting." Hinata said in a strange tone that Naruto quickly picked up on.

"What's wrong? What are all these clan meetings about anyways?" Naruto prodded. Hinata looked down, the color of her big eyes changing to a stormy steel grey.

"It's about me becoming the clan heiress." she whispered. Naruto cocked his head in confusion.

"But, I thought you are the Hyuuga heiress. What do you mean about becoming?" he asked.

Hinata shook her head. "Technically I am the heiress as the eldest child of my father who is the head clan leader, but the clan elders have been questioning my validity as heiress ever since I was young." she said bitterly. "They may try to see if Hanabi can replace me. I've been hearing rumors from Neji that they may be considering administering some t-type of challenge to see if I am w-worthy of being heiress." she bowed her head deeply, a growing lump in her throat preventing her from explaining further. Naruto stared at her in shock.

"But, that's ridiculous! Why can't they just accept that you are the heiress? They can't just make up the rules as they please!" he cried in anger.

Hinata shrugged. "They can. It is just clan politics. I haven't shown to be as strong and impressive as Neji, and they disapprove of my teaching job. They want me to focus on learning clan history and continue advancing my Gentle Fist techniques. But I love teaching and I just really want to pursue being a sensei right now." Hinata said, the words just pouring out of her. She hasn't ever talked about this with anyone, except maybe with Iruka-sensei.

Naruto bristled in fury at her words. It wasn't fair! How could they just force Hinata to do whatever they wanted? Didn't they know the amazing work she was doing at the Academy?

Hinata looked up at Naruto and noticed his angry look, his cerulean eyes turning into an ominous dark blue.

"Don't let yourself feel bothered by this Naruto-kun, it isn't too serious." she added. Naruto came out of his mental tirade and looked at her big eyes, his temper slowly fading.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok?" he asked in low voice, looking deep into her eyes for her true feelings. He realized early on that she often held back when speaking about herself.

"Yes, I will be ok." she replied with a smile. Naruto looked at her with his brows furrowed and his arms crossed. He was currently blocking her way out of his apartment. She continued to look up at him, the sunlight catching her face and causing her eyes to sparkle. He felt himself softening as he searched her face, tracing her features with his eyes.

She reveled in his gaze. It felt so amazing to have his attention all to herself. She was touched that he expressed concern about her wellbeing, but she sadly remembered that he would say the same things to any of his friends. This was just how Naruto was.

Hinata shifted, causing that pesky strap to fall once again down her shoulder. Before she could drop one of the grocery bags so she could fix it, Naruto reached up and gently pulled the strap back onto her shoulder. Hinata inhaled sharply and tensed as she felt his fingers on her bare shoulder. Naruto's fingers lingered for an instant before he suddenly drew them back as if they had been burned.

"Thanks..." she whispered. Naruto smiled quickly at her and pretended to cough.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home? I could help with the bags." he said.

"No thank you Naruto-kun, I'll be just fine!" Hinata said. "I... I had a good time." she added, a big blush coloring her face all the way to the tips of her ears.

Naruto felt a warm feeling wash across his face. Why did he suddenly feel so hot? Maybe he should turn the air conditioning up. Her big eyes, which had returned to their soft lavender shade, were pinning him down again.

"Me too Hinata. I guess I'll see you later?" he asked, wanting to ask when exactly would later be, but he didn't, afraid to entertain the reasons why he wanted to see her again. Besides, Hinata was really busy. He shouldn't pressure her to keep hanging out with him.

"Yes, you'll see me later." she answered softly. Naruto smiled and nodded gratefully, watching her step outside his apartment. He waved as she walked down the path towards her house, her yellow sundress swaying as she walked, and waited until she turned the corner and walked out of sight. Naruto sighed as he closed the door. He flexed the hand that touched her shoulder while pulling up her strap, his fingertips practically tingling from the contact. He had such a strong urge to leap down and follow Hinata. He worried about what she said regarding her issues with the clan. He shook his head. Hinata was strong. She can handle herself. Yet he still sat quietly on his couch while his mind wandered. He breathed deeply and smiled as he picked up traces of her scent still floating around his room. Looking around at his clean apartment, he knew that he definitely would have to see her again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto was packing some clothes into his travel backpack in preparation for a three day mission when he heard a knock at his front door. He walked the short distance from his bedroom to the main entrance and opened it to reveal...Hinata! She stood in front of him in the same yellow dress she had on when she had cooked for him a couple of days ago. The dress rippled around her legs in the cool night air. One of the straps had fallen yet again down her shoulder.

"Hinata? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked dumbly, staring at the beautiful creature in front of him. Hinata gave one of her mysterious smiles and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Hi Naruto-kun, can I come in?" she asked in her whispery voice. Naruto immediately jumped aside to allow her to come in.

"O-of course! I'm sorry I was just surprised to see you. Why are you out so late, dressed like that? You could catch a cold." Naruto rambled. He wanted to smack himself after his last statement. Catch a cold? He sounded like a helicopter parent!

Hinata just giggled and looked up at him with violet eyes. "I'm fine Naruto-kun... are you leaving for a mission?" she asked, looking at the various travel items he had ready by the door.

"Oh um, yes, I'm leaving tomorrow..." he said, his mouth struggling to create words as his eyes drifted down to scan her cleavage, which was more revealed due to the shoulder strap that was slipping down her arm.

Hinata nodded and just looked back at him. He felt himself growing hot. "Um, Hinata? Is everything ok? Why are you here?" he asked shakily, unable to look away from her eyes framed by long eyelashes and her full lips.

Hinata blushed lightly but stepped closer, keeping eye contact with him. "I just wanted to give you something before you left." She said in a silky voice.

Before he could ask further, she reached up on her toes and gave him the lightest kiss on the lips.

Naruto froze as an electric shock ran through him as he felt her pillowy soft lips on his. As she drew back, a shy smile on her face, he struggled to speak, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth. "H-Hinata, why d-did..." he began, but she interrupted him. "Did you like it, Naruto-kun?" she asked, her voice honey sweet. Naruto swallowed and found himself nodding yes, unable to speak. Hinata smiled. "Can you kiss me back?"

Naruto felt shyness wash all over him as he fumbled to respond, but barely had a chance as Hinata stood back on her toes and leaned closer and closer, until her lips were a couple inches away. As she paused he realized she was waiting for him to close the gap, and with a shaky breath he complied, meeting her halfway to press his lips against hers. He heard her moan softly as their lips touched again, and suddenly a passion like no other ignited within him. _Wow, she tastes so good_. His arms shot out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. All questions he had flew out the window as he felt her arms wrap around his neck. He cupped one of her cheeks with a hand as he kissed her again and again, keeping her face pressed against his. After a dozen kisses or so he went in for another long one, and felt his tongue touch hers briefly as he crashed his lips against hers. His breath hitched and he moaned feeling her slippery tongue against his. He drew back briefly in surprise and stared at Hinata's parted mouth for a second, curiosity gripping him. He readjusted the angle of their mouths and extended his tongue to lick her full bottom lip, causing Hinata to open her mouth wider with a ragged breath. She pushed the tip of her tongue towards his, and they both moaned loudly as their tongues met more fully. Naruto clutched at Hinata as this new sensation sent shockwaves straight to his nether regions. Hinata circled his tongue with hers and then closed her mouth to suck on his tongue gently. Naruto growled involuntarily at the suggestive move and pushed forward roughly to jam his tongue into her hungry mouth. He fisted her hair as he explored the cavern of her sweet mouth, reveling in the squeaks of pleasure Hinata was making.

Suddenly, Hinata pushed him away. Before he had a chance to react, she kept a firm grip on his shoulders as she pushed him towards his couch. The momentum caused him to fall back into a sitting position. He watched as if in a trance as she seductively climbed on top of him and slowly straddled him, not quite sitting fully on him however. _Kami, she's fucking gorgeous,_ he thought reverently as he watched her long dark blue hair cascade around her shoulders as she leaned towards him, her lips rosy from their intense make out session. She caressed his cheeks with soft fingertips, and he closed his eyes and let his head rest on the couch pillow. He sighed in happiness as Hinata placed feather light kisses on his forehead, nose, and cheeks. He grunted in surprise as he felt Hinata's wet tongue asking for entrance at his lips, and his eyes shot open as he quickly obliged, nearly whimpering as her impossibly smooth tongue dipped into his mouth. His arms, which had been lying dead at his sides, came back alive as he ran his hands up her back to feel her delicate frame. Hinata soon finished with his mouth and dragged her tongue from his lips, along his jawline, and then down his neck. He closed his eyes to concentrate on the erotic feeling of Hinata's tongue on his neck, his brows furrowing as his body involuntarily tensed. Hinata arrived at the crook of his neck and shoulder and paused to suck at his skin. He clenched his teeth and gasped as she alternated sucking pressure, first sucking lightly and then widening her mouth to suck forcefully, even using her teeth to create a delicious paradox of pleasure and pain.

"Kami, Hinata, how do you know how to... OH!" he cried out as Hinata suddenly spread her knees a bit further to finally sit down squarely on his crotch, causing Naruto to finally realize how aroused he really was. Powerful shocks of pleasure coursed through his pelvic region as Hinata leaned back, caused their private areas to rub against each other. He heard Hinata giggle softly as she saw the glazed look in his hooded eyes.

"Is everything ok, Naruto-kun?" she said in a sultry voice, batting her long lashes slowly. Naruto, who had given up on trying to say anything, just nodded his head slowly, looking at the goddess on his lap in a daze.

"Are you sure?" she asked, and bucked her pelvis against his, making Naruto groan loudly, his hands sliding down to grip her waist. He heard her tinkling laughter and blushed. He couldn't just let her control him so easily! He gripped her hips harder and pulled down forcefully, making her ground her crotch into his. He smirked as Hinata gasped and moaned in surprise, gripping his shoulders tightly.

His eyes settled on her heaving chest, her luscious cleavage even more exposed with both of her dress straps having fallen down her shoulders after his last move. He growled softly as they jiggled each time Hinata moved and he used a hand to push her from her back so her chest fell closer to him. He tentatively nuzzled the soft flesh and sighed deeply as Hinata's flowery scent surrounded his senses. He reached up and gently cupped one of her breasts. Hinata's breath hitched as she arched her back automatically. "Oh... Naruto-kun..." she whispered shakily. Naruto smiled, happy to be in control, and he began to smother the tops of her exposed breasts with wet kisses. He was instantly rewarded as Hinata cried out in pleasure and pushed her huge chest even further into Naruto's face, burrowing her face into the top of his head. He took a page out of Hinata's book and began to suck erratically all over her breasts, becoming addicted to their ripe feeling under his lips. He dragged his tongue to outline the tops of her breasts, and then dipped slowly into her tight cleavage.

"Oh.. yes..." Hinata moaned, tossing her head back. She began to grind her private place against his, and Naruto breathed in sharply- he became acutely aware of how hard he was underneath his pants, and Hinata's movement was causing the tightness to feel unbearable. His hands dropped slowly down to her thighs, where her dress and begun to ride up her legs from their passionate movements. He caressed her bare legs as he continued to slide his tongue in and out of the top of her cleavage. He slid his hands higher and higher, until they went under Hinata's dress. He shivered as he felt the beginnings of her panties, and he boldly hooked his fingers into the sides of the garment as if he wanted to slide them off, but he didn't. Hinata reared back and cupped his face with both hands as she kissed him passionately. They began to dry hump vigorously. Naruto moaned into Hinata's mouth and gripped the sides of her panties like they were horse reins. He was in heaven with this vixen bucking on his lap and sending shocks of pleasure straight to his cock. He broke the kissing to move back to her jiggling breasts, noticing the outline of her hard nipples through the covered part of her chest. He dragged his lips over the tiny protrusions and began to suck at them through the clothing. Hinata let out a whimper and threw her head back. Naruto shifted back and forth to nip playfully at each covered nipple, groaning at the idea of sucking on them without the annoying clothing. He bared his teeth and began to tug the neckline of her dress to pull it down all the way...

...but Hinata reached quickly and held up her dress with one hand and pulled out of Naruto's grip.

"Naruto-kun, this is amazing, but I'm here to do something else." Hinata said, slowing her gyrations on his crotch. Naruto's eyes fluttered - he was so far gone he barely knew what to say. "Something...else?" he said dumbly.

Hinata smiled and nodded. She leaned in to kiss him once on the lips, then the chin, then down his neck. She didn't stay to suck on his neck, opting instead to slowly unzip his jacket to get access to his collarbone. Naruto watched her with wide eyes as she finished unzipping his jacket while licking along his collarbone, and her hands switched to the hem of his exposed undershirt. She pulled up his shirt to expose his rock hard abs, and made a pleased sound as she ran that amazing tongue along the creases between each muscle. The butterfly feeling that he had come to know so well erupted once more and he laughed shakily as her tongue lightly tickled him. He gasped as she casually dipped her tongue into his belly button and swirled it around, causing his restrained cock to twitch.

"Ungh... Hinata..." he said weakly as she went even further down, and was now nibbling at his upper pelvic region. Naruto wanted to throw his head back in bliss, but he couldn't keep his eyes off her as he waited in anticipation for what she would do next. He swallowed as a wild guess popped into his brain but he shamefully shook his head. She couldn't possibly want to go that far... right?

But Hinata shocked him by bringing her hands to his pants and finding the zipper. She looked up at him with a cheeky smile as she slowly unzipped his pants. Naruto's chest heaved rapidly as he sat up and watched her, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to figure out what to say. "Hinata, what are you... You can't... you don't have to..." he babbled, but Hinata just brought a finger to her lips.

"Shh, Naruto-kun, don't worry. I want to do this. Please trust me. I promise you'll like it." She looked up at him with adoring eyes. She looked like a puppy begging for food. Naruto laughed shakily and leaned back slowly. "Ok, only if you're sure..." he said. Hinata smiled and nodded, looking back down at his now open pants. She parted the two sides of the pants zipper and reached in to feel around for the opening in his boxers. Once she found it, she wasted no time in reaching for his pulsing cock.

The moment Hinata's fingers touched his member, Naruto flung his head back in complete bliss. He gripped the fabric of the couch with inhuman strength as she pulled his cock out into the open air.

"Ohh... Naruto-kun... I love it." whispered Hinata. "There is so much cum already." Naruto blinked and struggled to look down, moaning at the sight of Hinata's small hand wrapped around his dick, which was as hard as a brick and glistening with pre cum from head to base.

Hinata pumped her hand up and down once, the lubrication from his pre cum allowing her hand to slide easily despite her firm grip.

Naruto arched his back as he nearly screamed from the intense pleasure.

"OHH... Kami... shit..." he groaned loudly. He was already so close, but Hinata continued to pump his dick achingly slowly, holding off his climax.

"Mmm, Naruto, it's so big..." Hinata cooed. "And it's so wet..." Naruto couldn't respond, his head was already lolling back as he held on to the couch for dear life. He almost wanted to cry at the tortuous pace Hinata had set.

It was all over when he felt her flicker her tongue on the head. He let out something between a growl and a shout and snapped his head back onto the couch, his eyes rolling back up into his head.

"Mmm, it tastes even better than I thought." Hinata said with a giggle. "Are you ok, Naruto-kun? If you don't like it I won't do it." she purred. Naruto wrenched himself back up to look at the beautiful girl incredulously.

"Yes, yes, please do it again, I'll do anything..." he found himself begging, but he didn't care. Hinata's smile widened as she lowered her head to stop millimeters from his dick. "Hmm? Please do what?" she countered, her lips lightly bumping into his head as she spoke while her hand still slid slowly up and down his aching cock.

"Please, lick it again, lick it all over." Naruto growled, gritting his teeth as he felt her hot breath wash over his head. Hinata moaned at his words and finally obliged him, flattening her tongue to give the tip a long, hard lick.

"Ughhhhhhohhhhhhhh!" Naruto groaned as he saw stars. Hinata began pumping his dick faster while she licked the head rapidly like an ice cream cone. Naruto couldn't stop moaning as he took one hand to fist in her hair as he began to gently thrust his hips forward in tandem with her hand movements.

"Oh Kami, oh Kami..." Naruto panted, his legs beginning to tremble as he felt his orgasm building rapidly. "Please don't stop, Hinata..."

"Yes, come for me, Naruto-kun." Hinata moaned in between licks, and took it even one level further by sucking his throbbing head into her mouth.

"Fuck! Yes!" Naruto hissed, fisting Hinata's hair harder and pushing her head towards him as he jerked into her mouth. Hinata let him control her head movements, and he snapped his head back as he felt the orgasm truly coming on.

"Oh... shit..." he mumbled, and shuddered as the orgasm hit him like a truck and his cock erupted into Hinata's mouth, which was still sucking hard on the head. Naruto groaned and whimpered as he rode out the best orgasm of his life, relishing Hinata's wet mouth sucking up every drop of his cum. He convulsed as aftershocks coursed through his being.

It was perhaps too good, because he felt himself beginning to black out.

"Mmmm, Hinata... I..." he said thickly as a darkness began to fade in around him, and he felt himself falling backwards onto the couch. He struggled to pick his head up to look at Hinata, but his head felt like it weighed a ton. The darkness continued to encroach on his vision. "Hinata... Hina..." Naruto called out as he felt himself fading... fading...

Complete darkness. Naruto blinked trying to clear the darkness from his field of vision, but it remained. As his vision sharpened however, he began to make out things like a dresser, and dark curtains on the wall. He began to breath faster as he realized: he was in his bedroom!

He shifted and groaned as he realized his right hand was wrapped around his dick. His blankets had been thrown off and he looked down to see his hand gripping his dick, which was still hard and slick with cum. A thin sheen of sweat covered his face and torso.

 _No way,_ he thought as his senses came to, _that... all of that was... a dream?_ He slid his hand experimentally on his dick and moaned softly as he felt how sensitive it was post-ejaculation. _Was I jacking myself off in my sleep?_ He shook his head as he replayed the dream in his mind. He had never had a wet dream before, not even about Sakura. It had felt so real. As he thought about Hinata's mouth sucking his cock like a straw he felt himself get aroused yet again, and he began to pump his member.

"Oh..." he gasped as he imagined what Hinata's nipples in his mouth would have felt like and grunted as he brought himself back to the brink, marveling in the back of his mind how ready he was to cum again. His other hand gripped his bedsheets as he pumped faster, Hinata's moans replaying over and over in his head. He came hard, cum spurting into the air as his abs contracted and he partially sat up as he let another powerful orgasm pulse through him. A few moments later he sank back down as the intense pleasure gave way to exhaustion.

An embarrassed blush rose to his face as he wondered how he could look Hinata in the eyes after he had the most erotic dream ever about her. Hinata is just a friend, she's just a friend, you idiot! He sighed and began to gingerly inch off his bed to go wash himself off. He squinted as he flicked on the bathroom light and began to wipe off the cum with a wet washcloth. When he finished, he splashed cold water on his face from the sink and looked at himself in the mirror for a moment. Hinata's face flashed before his eyes, and he shook his head rapidly from side to side. _No no no..._ he thought weakly.

He turned away from the mirror and made his way back to his bed. He flopped onto his creaky mattress and stared at the ceiling. It was just a freaky dream, he thought desperately, it couldn't mean anything right?

OH, IT DEFINITELY DOES.

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at the deep, booming voice that resounded in his head. He let out a breath, gritting his teeth in anger as he heard the voice chuckle.

 _YOU! Don't you dare make any of your stupid comments now, Fox! I'm not in the mood._ He thought furiously. But the Kyuubi continued to chuckle as it connected with him in his subconscious.

VERY NICE DREAM, BY THE WAY. I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT, MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN THE BORING SHMUCK YOU USUALLY CONJURE. IM GLAD I WOKE UP IN TIME TO CATCH IT. THINK YOU COULD HAVE ANY MORE? It snickered.

Naruto slammed the countertop with his fist. _NO!_ he growled _. I will not have any more! And you can't just watch my dreams like they are movies!_ _  
_  
HM... MORE LIKE PORNOS... the Kyuubi replied with a thoughtful tone. Naruto reddened and gritted his teeth. He remembered the first comment it made and frowned.

 _And what do you mean the dream means something? I mean I can't control my dreams... I don't think about her like that in real life._ The Kyuubi sighed, and Naruto knew it was most likely stretching its limbs.

DREAMS ARE AN EXTENSION OF THE WAKING CONSCIOUS, it replied lazily. THEY CAN REFLECT THE EXPERIENCES OF WAKING LIFE. YOUR DREAM IS CONVEYING THE SUBCONSCIOUS THOUGHTS YOU ARE HAVING ABOUT THE GIRL, WHETHER YOU ARE AWARE OF THEM OR NOT.

Naruto listened quietly. Did he really think about her in that way?

 _I mean, I do think she's pretty..._

He swallowed, thinking about the beach.

 _Ok, she is beautiful, gorgeous, stunning actually. But I mean so are lots of girls!_ He heard the Kyuubi snort in disagreement, but he ignored it.

 _It's nothing ok? Hinata and I are just friends. Now stop prying! It is weird to talk about this stuff with you..._

The Kyuubi chuckled deeply and began to recede back into the recesses of his mind, back within its prison. AS YOU WISH... it snickered.

Naruto rolled his eyes and shifted onto his side, willing his eyes to close. He groaned as incriminating thoughts ran through his mind. Hinata water bending, laughing, teaching, cooking, shaking her head at him, looking deep into his eyes... Naruto tried to flood his mind with images of Sakura like he had so much in the past. But it wasn't working this time. When he thought of Sakura his emotions ran flat. When Hinata popped back into his mind, his stomach started to churn from his nervous energy and he tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position. His breath felt shaky as he tried to take deep breaths, his heart pounding. _Should I see a doctor,_ he thought wildly.

 _What is this I am feeling?_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **(A/N) – Thank you for the positive reviews**

 **CHAPTER EIGHT – DENIAL**

On Monday, Naruto firmly believed that his dream of Hinata was just a natural result of him spending more time with her and acknowledging that she is an attractive young woman. He knew he couldn't lie to himself about the fact that he found her attractive, but it didn't mean he just all of a sudden flat out liked her!

That wishful thinking lasted all of half a day when the blasted Kyuubi resurfaced to point out that with that logic, he should be having tons of wet dreams about Sakura, given the fact that he spent way much more time with her and that he has found her attractive for a long time. The comment flustered Naruto and he fired a few choice words at the Kyuubi, but he admitted later with great reluctance that his earlier rationale didn't work.

On Tuesday, Naruto saw Hinata walking into a shop a block down from where he was standing. Just seeing her had sent an electric shock through his chest, and he breathed rapidly as he watched her step into the store. He then thought it was time to prove to himself that the dream didn't change anything about how he felt about her. He had walked all the way down to the store front, determined to wait for her to come back out and pretend to bump into her, and strike up a conversation. But upon peeking into the store, his heart had slammed into his throat when he saw her smiling face as she thanked the store owner for helping her, his eyes sweeping over her lips and long lashes. By the time Hinata had exited the store, Naruto had disappeared into the crowd.

On Wednesday, Naruto was determined to recalibrate his brain to get it hooked back onto Sakura. He waited for his old teammate to finish her shift in the hospital and asked her to have dinner with him, to which she finally agreed (to his shock). While they chatted as they waited for their ramen at Ichiraku, Naruto stole looks at Sakura. To his _ultimate_ frustration, he didn't get the same nervous feeling when he looked at her piercing green eyes, or her lips that just didn't have the same fullness as Hinata's. When he made suggestions about how Sakura could potentially improve the rate of one of her healing jutsus, she just told him to not talk about things that he "didn't understand", very unlike how Hinata actually entertained his ideas with regards to teaching.

The cherry on top came when Sakura commented on how particularly good the ramen was that night, and he wanted to ask her how good it was on a scale from one to ten. He stopped himself when he realized that Sakura wouldn't find the comment as funny as Hinata would. And then he spent the rest of the evening trying to think of any inside jokes that he shared with Sakura, but he couldn't think of any!

When they parted, all Naruto felt was deep confusion. Had it always been like this with Sakura? Sakura was the only girl he had ever loved. But, what did it mean if she had never inspired those electric shocks of nervous energy that he felt when he saw Hinata?

On Thursday, in the evening, Naruto stopped by Iruka-sensei's home to ask for his advice. He kept it general and avoided using names, since Iruka was basically Hinata's boss.

"Iruka-sensei... how do you know that you love someone?"

Iruka looked at the young man who was like a son to him. "Wow Naruto, I am surprised to hear that kind of question from you. Where is this coming from?" he teased. Naruto blanched and coughed nervously, looking at Iruka's potted plants as if they fascinated him.

"It's not like that! I was talking with... a friend today, and he is going through some girl troubles and he asked me and I didn't know how to respond! So I just wanted to know… so that next time I can tell him." he said, the lie manifesting clumsily. He glanced at Iruka, whose eyebrows were raised high. He chuckled.

"Well, there are a few ways to determine if you love someone." Iruka started, his voice going into sensei-lecture mode.

Naruto had learned that it was important to know whether the love you felt for the person was real love or just infatuation. He visibly perked up as Iruka went through the different signs that indicate either infatuation or love. _That must be it!_ he had thought in relief, _it must just be infatuation!_ Infatuation does not last as long as true love, Iruka said. That means that whatever he is feeling for Hinata will eventually go away, and he can go back to loving Sakura. He mentally took note of the different ways to spot infatuation and true love so that he could confirm his suspicions next time he saw Hinata.

Now it was Friday evening, and Naruto was preparing to jump into his shower to sooth his sore muscles. He had finally met with Jiraiya that morning for some training. Naruto had overheard some Jonins coming back from their guard watch shift at the main gate chatting about seeing the Sannin warrior reenter the town, and he had sent out his clones to hunt the Pervy Sage down and force him to give him some guidance. Moreover, he was desperate for a distraction as thoughts of Hinata continued to plague his mind.

Naruto had done everything in his power to avoid Hinata that week after he had tried to talk to her on Tuesday. He didn't go near the Academy, or the lake, or her clan's compound, or anywhere else he'd likely see her. He even went to the grocery store late at night before closing time to reduce the likelihood that he would *bump* into her there as well.

He just couldn't bear to look her in the face without thinking about her mouth sucking on his-

 _No no no! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts!_ he berated himself for the hundredth time that day. He sighed as he stepped into his shower and groaned as the hot water ran down his head to his neck and shoulders and the rest of his body. He stood there for a moment as the heat enveloped him. He willed his brain to focus on another topic equally as frustrating as Hinata: finding Sasuke.

He had been on numerous missions in the last couple of months that involved investigating new developments that hinted Orochimaru was still at large in the region. However, no one has seen hide nor hair of Orochimaru, Kabuto, or Sasuke. No matter how much intel they gathered or how far they traveled, no one has managed to run into any of the wanted criminals since Orochimaru's attack on the village that led to the tragic death of the Third Hokage, as well as Sasuke's traitorous departure.

He sighed as he rubbed a soapy washcloth over his chest, cleaning away the sweat and grim. He felt like things were being kept from him by Tsunade and Jiraiya. They probably knew more than they wanted him to know, and were keeping it from him so that he didn't go off and hunt Sasuke down himself once and for all. He humphed irritably at that thought. They didn't understand that it had to be him. For some reason he knew that only he could be the one to make Sasuke realize his errors and come back.

He finished washing himself and rinsed off. As he toweled himself his stomach grumbled loudly. A small smile appeared on his face despite his troubled thoughts. Ramen would be a good distraction.

* * *

He flew from rooftop to rooftop, breathing the night air in deeply. It was late, but many were still out enjoying one of the last few Friday nights of the year with relatively warm temperatures. Groups of men here and there could be seen standing on corners smoking cigarettes, drinking, and laughing rowdily. Giggling girls walked by and blushed and batted their eyes as young guys shouted flirtatious comments at them. Naruto's face illuminated and darkened as he passed by street lamps lining the pathways below.

He had unknowingly taken the shortcut to Ichiraku's that took him by the Academy. As he approached the large building, he looked at it in habit. He paused as he touched down lightly on a neighboring building. All of the windows in the Academy were dark except one on the second floor, which was cracked halfway open.

He stood still for a moment, unable to look away from the lit window. _It could be Iruka-sensei_ , he thought nervously. He found himself drawing closer and closer to the window like a moth to a flickering flame, making sure to approach at an angle so whoever was inside would not see him. He used his chakra to help him climb on all fours to scale the outer wall of the school.

He peeked inside, his heart quickening as he saw Hinata's side profile. She was standing at the blackboard, scribbling something in white chalk. There was a large diagram with various arrows pointing to different spots on a target, a heading at the top reading "Shiruken Jutsus". Hinata would add something to the diagram, stand back to assess, then step closer to add something else. At times she would sidestep to her desk quickly to check some notes on pieces of paper on her desk, and then go back to drawing and scribbling.

Naruto watched her intently, trying to control his breathing. Despite himself, his lips curled up into a smile. Of course, when everyone else would be out fooling around on a nice Friday night, Hinata would choose to stay inside and work on her teaching lessons. He shook his head slightly in awe.

Hinata finally took a break, pulling a chair to sink down into while looking at her handiwork. She covered her mouth, making a little high pitched sigh as she yawned. Naruto's lips twitched as his smile grew at the cute noise. Hinata leaned back in the chair to stretch, her legs extending while her arched her back and raised her arms up behind her ears. Her bountiful chest, while still wrapped away by her tunic, sat up perkily as her stretching pointed her chest to the ceiling. Naruto quickly looked away, shaking his head quickly from side to side as he struggled to expel improper thoughts from his mind. _I should go, I shouldn't stay peeping at her like this. I'm no better than Pervy Sage!_ he thought angrily.

But he turned to look back again. Hinata was staring at the blackboard. She stood up and walked closer to look at one part of her diagram, squinting closely at something. She then lifted a finger to delicately erase some insignificant smudge of chalk that was where it shouldn't have been. She stood back up and rested her hands on her hips, nodding in satisfaction. Naruto bit his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud. What a perfectionist!

 _Crrrroooaaaaak!_

Suddenly, his stomach let out a gargantuan growl. Naruto flinched as the sound carried out into the night, and became rigid as he saw Hinata turn to face the window and begin to walk his way. An electric shock ran through him as he realized he was in danger of getting caught. His mind raced as he wrestled with the choice to leap away or to stay and hope she didn't see him. If he made a noise, all she would have to do is turn on her Byakugan and she would see him! He gritted his teeth as he turned away from the window, lowering his chakra as he heard her come closer. He waited with baited breath as he heard her stop walking, not daring to move knowing that she could be standing right at the window.

One second, two seconds, three...

He then heard her rummage around, the high pitched whine of a zipper being closed cutting through the silence. Hinata began walking away from the window, and Naruto slowly relaxed, swallowing as he tentatively leaned over to see what she was doing. She had been packing papers into her bag, and now she was heading out, leaving her diagram on the blackboard most likely to save it to use on Monday. He stared at her long indigo hair that swished as she walked, watching her as she paused briefly to flick off the lights.

He slowly turned away as his eyes readjusted to the darkness. He just hung there to the wall until he realized with a jolt that she would be exiting the building soon, and then he truly had to make himself scarce. He leapt onto a tree a few feet away from the window and used it to get back to the rooftop where he had originally stopped. Crouching down out of view, he watched Hinata step outside and start to walk in the direction of her clan compound, her small backpack slung over one shoulder while she held extra books in her arms.

He placed a hand over his stomach, cursing silently as the fluttering feeling that unfortunately was not from his hunger. He wrenched his eyes away from her retreating form and launched himself away, his fists clenching in frustration as he recalled Iruka's words from the night before.

"When you are infatuated with someone, just being around that person makes all of your emotions run high. It is very difficult to control such intense feelings."

Naruto blew out air from his mouth in exasperation. This little infatuation phase had better wear off soon!

Hinata stopped walking and raised her head, quieting her breathing so that she could hear around her better. She had this strange feeling she was being watched. But after taking a few looks around to her sides and rear, she faced forward and shrugged to herself, not bothering to use her Byakugan abilities. She continued to walk home, letting her mind wander to her favorite topic: Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

Somewhere far away, three hooded figures stood in a thick, dark forest, plotting a horrible, evil plan.

"My lord, we have located the scroll. We can send a team tonight to retrieve it." said the one that towered in height over the other two.

One figure shrouded in white and tan robes gave a slight nod. "Excellent. Ensure that you take as many soldiers as you will need. I do not want any mistakes made tonight. We are losing time with each passing second and I do not want this opportunity to slip through our fingers."

The tall figure bowed deeply. "Of course, my lord. We will not fail you."

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the shadows.

The person in white turned to the third figure, who was cloaked in all black.

"It seems our plan is working thus far. Acquiring this scroll will provide critical piece of information that will undoubtedly help us rebuild the weapon." he said.

"Indeed." replied the third in a smooth, simpering voice. "I am looking forward to seeing the weapon completed. I do hope we will have enough time to create it before the moon comes into position."

"Absolutely. My disciples will make sure of that. Nothing is higher in priority than this. As long as we obtain this scroll, and you are able to assist us when it is time to strike, there is nothing that can stop us."

The third chuckled. It was a dark, evil sound. "You can count on me. There is nothing I desire more than to see your plan implemented."

The figure in white bowed. "I am honored to have you by my side. Now, I must take my leave. I will send you an update once we have the scroll."

The third bowed in return, and the two unknown figures vanished as they departed in separate directions.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER NINE – THE MISSION**

In Tsunade's office, Naruto sighed and tossed another report to the side. The Fifth Hokage had recently taken to having him assist her with paperwork ("assist" here meaning doing all of it for her) under the pretense that he should start learning about the different duties of being Hokage besides being super strong and respected and feared and loved by all. It was extremely boring seeing as she wouldn't actually let him see the top secret reports that actually contained all the juicy stuff. But he put up with it as just getting to be in the Hokage's office actually doing stuff would placate him for the time being.

 _Boring... boring... boring..._ he thought as he turned each page of the next report. Then, a gust of wind blew through the open window and scattered a few of the pages that littered the desk onto the floor. He rolled his eyes and bent over to pick them back up. As he tried to reorder them, the heading of one particular document caught his eye. "Konoha Three-Year Education Budget Breakdown", it read.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and set down the other reports to the side. He opened up the budget document and was surprised to see that it was actually a large schedule folded into itself a few different ways. He expanded the folds and smoothed it out on the table. It showed a large table filled with numbers. In the leftmost column were categories and subcategories of different areas of spend. The columns to the right showed the budget amounts that were assigned to each category. There was one column for each of the last three years. Each of those columns were split into a "Forecasted" and an "Actual" column. He scanned the left column. The first few categories were for the non-ninja public schools that existed in Konoha. He looked at them for a few seconds before continuing down, looking for the Ninja Academy. He spotted it about midway down the page and began to read through the subcategories:

 _Teacher salaries...building maintenance...classroom supplies...textbooks...practice weaponry...core curriculum materials...aha!_ he thought in triumph. The last line in the section read "arts fund". He pointed at the word with a finger and then traced the row to the right to see the corresponding monetary amounts. But all the boxes had zeros in them.

 _Well I guess that makes sense._ He thought back to what Hinata said about the arts fund being discontinued following Orochimaru's attack. _This document only shows the years since the attack._

He looked back at the amounts for the other Academy categories. Salaries and building maintenance were the two largest areas of spend. He frowned when he noticed an interesting trend: nearly all of the "Actual" spend amounts for the building maintenance costs were much lower than the "Forecasted" amounts, on the scale of thousands.

 _So does that mean we spent less than we actually planned to?_ he wondered. His brows furrowed as his mind started to collect this new information.

Just then, the door to the office opened, and Tsunade walked in with Shizune and Kakashi in tow.

"Naruto, you're going to have to finish those reports later. I have a new mission for you and you're going to have to leave as soon as possible." Tsunade stated as she came around her desk and pulled out a piece of paper and a quill. She scratched out a few notes, and then handed the paper to Kakashi.

"I want these people to be on your team. You are to leave immediately as we discussed." she ordered. Kakashi simply nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Hey, what do we have to do?" asked Naruto as Tsunade got up to make her way out yet again.

"Kakashi will explain." she said curtly, waving her hand to show she didn't have time to chat. Naruto grumbled as he watched her leave and looked over at Kakashi, who tipped his head towards the door. "Come Naruto, I will explain on the way."

"Alright, one second." said Naruto, looking at Shizune. "Hey Shizune, do you think you could help me really quick? Do you know where I could find the Konoha education budget documents for the years before Orochimaru attacked the village?" Shizune cocked her head at his seemingly random request.

"Um, I could... why do you ask though?" she queried.

"Lets go, Naruto." Kakashi called from his place in Tsunade's doorway. Naruto waved his hands in impatience.

"I need it so that I can do something Tsunade asked me to do." he lied. "I just wanna check something out, I can't explain right now. Please can you just get it for me? I promise I'll bring them back." he pleaded. Shizune raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Sure I guess, one moment."

She turned to begin sifting through some manila folders on one of the shelves of Tsunade's large bookcase. She finally pulled one out and checked the label on it.

"Here, these are copies of all the education budget reports from the last ten years, will this work?" Naruto grinned and took the folder from her. "That is perfect! Thank you Shizune-nee-san!" He tucked the folder under his arm and scooted out the door to follow Kakashi.

Outside the Hokage's office, Naruto questioned his Jonin sensei.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, where are we going? What is the mission?" he asked.

Kakashi kept his eyes forward as they walked quickly through the village. "We have received reports from the old village of Nobu that one of their rare scrolls was stolen last night. Nobu has a library of rare and valuable scrolls that the village has conserved and protected to preserve shinobi history and culture."

Naruto looked at him. "So is the scroll really valuable or something?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes...but what has the Hokage and me worried is that the thieves only took one scroll when they had an opportunity to take many more. If they were after the monetary value, that is what should have happened. But they didn't. They only took one."

Naruto frowned. "So what does that mean?"

"I'm not sure," Kakashi admitted. "But I have a hunch that they were after specific information that was enclosed within that scroll. What kind of information, and what they plan to do with it, only Kami knows. In any case, it is a crime and the village has asked Konoha to help them find the thieves. They were able to see the direction the thieves left in, so we may be able to intercept them somehow."

They stopped at a street corner. "Go home and pack a bag, Naruto. Meet me at the main gate ASAP. I'm going to go gather our teammates." said Kakashi. In a blink of an eye, he was already gone. Naruto didn't bother trying to see where he went and turned to leap away to his apartment.

* * *

Naruto was leaning against one of the pillars that stood at either side of the main gate as he waited for the others. He was debating whether or not to take a power nap against the wall when he finally heard footsteps approach behind him. He turned to see who it was.

"Finally, you slowpokes are here! I was wondering when-" he stopped, his breath catching in his throat. Closest to him stood Kakashi with his arms crossed. Behind him were Sai and Shikamaru. To his right was the eclectic Jonin taijutsu expert Might Guy, who gave him a blinding smile and a thumbs up. And behind him were Shino, Kiba, his ninja dog Akamaru, and...

"Hinata..." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He stared with wide eyes as Hinata caught his gaze and gave him one of her small smiles as she held up a hand in greeting. She was dressed in an outfit similar to her teaching uniform, except it was all black. Her hitai ate was tied around her forehead. His mouth twitched as he robotically returned the wave.

"Alright! We are all here." said Kakashi in his usual drawl, not noticing Naruto's sudden pause. "Let's align quickly on our approach before we leave. Shikamaru, can you run through it for us?"

Shikamaru nodded. "We are taking two teams for this mission. The first is led by Kakashi and will include me, Sai, and Naruto. The second will be led by Might Guy and will include Hinata, Shino and Kiba."

"And Akamaru!" Kiba said pointedly. Akamaru barked in agreement. Shikamaru sweatdropped.

"Ah... yeah... and Akamaru." he agreed with an eye roll. "We will use Sai's ink birds while we travel. Initially we will all travel towards Nobu together, but then we will split by the landmark that was given to us by the Nobu villagers. My team will head out to try to see if we can track down the thieves in case they didn't get far, while Guy's team will collect information in Nobu about the stolen scroll and stand watch in case the thieves come back for more. We will be pairing up on Sai's birds while we are in the air and will fly in a diamond formation, with Kakashi and Guy at the left and right ends, and me in at the front. Does that make sense?"

The group murmured "hai" in response. Naruto felt both relief and disappointment when he realized Hinata wouldn't be on his team, but tried to shake it off.

They waited as Sai pulled out one of his large scrolls to summon his huge ink birds. Like magic, each bird peeled off of the parchment and ballooned 500 times their size, touching down without a sound in front of their riders. Naruto glanced to his right where Hinata was standing not too far away. He wondered for a hot second if they would share a bird, until Shikamaru burst that bubble.

"Come on Naruto, lets share this one." Naruto blinked and nodded slightly, walking slowly over to the bird Shikamaru was pointing to. As he climbed on, he watched Hinata get onto a bird that Kiba was already sitting on, Akamaru perched securely in front of his master. She scooched close to Kiba and tapped his back to say something to him. The sight irritated Naruto, and he whipped his head back around to glare at the back of Shikamaru's head as they settled on their own bird. Within moments, they were off into the sky.

Hinata looked at Naruto from her position sitting behind Kiba on the ink bird they were sharing. The two of them were flying in the rear of the diamond the group had created. Naruto had barely said hello to her earlier when they had all converged at the main gate. One would have thought with all of the time they had spent together recently he would have said more. She had deep down been hoping they would be on the same team even though she knew they had pulled her to work with Shino and Kiba. She felt a pang in her chest as she tried to think of why Naruto had not done more than wave at her. _Maybe it's nothing...or maybe he finally realized he doesn't want to have to talk to me all the time,_ she thought, shaking her head to push that painful thought away.

The group soared without much issue towards the meeting point. The setting sun created streaks of pink and orange across the clear skies and bathed the trees, already beginning to change into fall colors, in a warm gold light. The landscape blurred past below them, forests giving way to open fields and bodies of water before transitioning back to thick vegetation again. Periodically Hinata would use her Byakugan to scan around them to check for potential enemies. Naruto listened to her smooth voice piercing the air as she relayed to the team that they were all clear, and smiled secretly as the sound tickled his eardrums.

Just when Naruto was going to ask Shikamaru how much farther, his legs starting to cramp a bit from sitting on the bird for so long, Kakashi signaled to the team to note the landmark coming into view. It was a water tower, an administrative office located at its base.

"Hinata, is anyone down there?" called Kakashi.

Hinata peered down, veins bulging around her eyes as she leveraged the Byakugan. "Yes... there are three individuals inside of the building."

"Ok... those should be the Nobu villagers sent to meet with us, but prepare yourselves in case they are the enemy." said Kakashi, raising his voice so the group could hear him over the rushing wind. They all nodded in understanding.

"Ok, we are going in." Naruto clamped his legs a little harder around the bird as it tilted forward in an effort to descend. They approached the water tower and circled it as they made to land. The four birds landed silently in different points around the water tower, splitting up so that the group was spread out and thus more difficult to corral by ambushing enemies. Everyone except Kakashi and Guy took defensive positions by concealing themselves within the trees and shrubs, waiting for the Jonins to signal them when they were safe. Kakashi and Guy began to approach the door to the small administrative office. Naruto's eyes shifted, looking around the dark forest until they settled on the barely noticeable silhouette of Hinata, expertly hidden in a tree outside of the rising moon's light.

Kakashi knocked twice on the wooden door and waited with a hand on his hip. A couple of moments passed, with some light shuffling heard from within. A man's voice called out.

"Who goes there?"

Kakashi responded. "We are ninjas of the Konoha Leaf. We were sent by the Fifth Hokage to assist in Nobu's search for the ancient scroll recently stolen from the Nobu library."

A small wooden slat on the door slid open and a pair of eyes glared out at Kakashi and Guy.

Kakashi and Guy pulled out their Konoha Jonin badges that contained their photos and identification. The eyes looked back and forth between the badges and their faces before pulling back, the wooden slat shutting closed.

The door opened a second later. A man stepped out warily. He was dressed in deep red robes that lacked any sort of embellishment and plain sandals, his shaven head indicating that he was one of the Bhuddist monks that the group knew were involved in maintaining Nobu's library. From his view Naruto could see two more monks standing cautiously just inside the doorway.

"Hello," Kakashi said amiably, bowing to the monk. "Your name is?" The monk returned the bow. "I am Ginza, I am one of the monks who saw the thieves as they were leaving the library with the scroll." He looked around. "I was told there would be more of you." he said.

Guy nodded and looked behind him, raising a hand to signal to the others that it was okay to come out. The monks gasped slightly as six more ninjas noiselessly came into view. Naruto smirked. He loved being a ninja.

"Now then, we do not want to waste too much time chatting. We'd like to know where you last saw the thieves. If you could give any description of their appearance, as well as how many there were, that would be appreciated." said Kakashi. Ginza nodded and proceeded to give them the details of the burglary.

"There were three very tall, hooded individuals in long black robes. They had masks covering half of their faces. They had headbands on top of their hoods with these gold looking medallions in the center. But the strangest thing were their eyes..." Ginza shuddered. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"What about their eyes?"

Ginza looked at him. "They... weren't human looking. They were like two narrow slits, like snake eyes, and they were completely black, as if they didn't have eyes at all." Kakashi tilted his head and shared a look with Guy, who shrugged.

"Which way did you see them go?" asked Guy. Ginza looked off and nodded at a path that entered the woods to the right of the water tower.

"They took off on foot down this path leading south. Some of our guards tried to chase them, but they sent out attacks to stop us from following them."

Kakashi looked at the monk. "What kinds of attacks did they use? Kunai?" But the monk shook his head.

"No... they used chakra. One used a strange jutsu I've never seen before. He... or it... used its hands to generate a circle of chakra orbs. They shone with yellow colored energy. It was able to launch the orbs at the guards like they were bombs. One of our guards was injured, but not mortally." Kakashi nodded as he took in this information.

"Alright. I think that is all we need. We are going to split up, some of us will go to try and track the thieves while the others will head to Nobu to inspect and guard the library. Will you be able to lead them to the village?" Ginza nodded in affirmation.

Kakashi turned to face Naruto and the others. "Good, so it is time for us to split up. My team will go on foot. Guy, please have the monks take the extra birds and have them guide you to Nobu." Guy nodded amicably and smiled wide at the monks, who shied away slightly at his enthusiasm.

The groups began to split up. Hinata and Naruto made eye contact as she approached him on the way to rejoin Guy's team. Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets as he suddenly became hyper aware of how he was walking. His nerves heightened as she seemed to walk to him in slow motion. He watched how cat-like her movements were – each step she took was delicate and light, and she seemed to glide towards him. Her hair swayed slightly to and fro as she walked.

"Be safe, Naruto-kun." she said softly as they passed each other, looking up at him with her pearl eyes. His heart fluttered as he took in the words she had directed at him and picked up a trace of her flowery scent. He quickly threw a nonchalant smile on his face.

"Of course, Hinata! You too." he said, holding her gaze momentarily to convey that he meant it. Hinata smiled at his response and nodded back, turning to hurry over to her team. Naruto looked back down at his feet and sighed as he clenched his fists in his pockets, cursing his pounding heart.

He joined Sai and Shikamaru as Kakashi also reached them. As they started to walk in the direction the monk had given them, Kakashi held up his hand to tell them to stop.

"One moment. There is a smarter way to do this." he said. He casually took a kunai from his weapons sack and nicked his thumb with it, causing a pea sized amount of dark blood to well up. Naruto watched as Kakashi bent down and pressed his hand with the bleeding finger to the ground. Underneath his hand, the image of a summoning seal appeared and glowed in the ground as Kakashi activated it with his chakra.

With a loud poof, a pack of panting ninja dogs appeared in front of them. They all wore blue dog vests, some also sporting sunglasses or bandannas around their heads. Each had a Konoha Leaf hitai-ate tied on their necks or heads. They varied in size as well, with a giant vicious-looking bulldog as the largest and a pug as the smallest.

The pug approached Kakashi, a bored look on its face. "Kakashi," it said in a surprisingly deep voice. "What is the reason for your summons?"

Naruto grinned and squatted down to get closer to eye level with the pug. "Pakkun! How the hell are ya?" he said with a laugh, looking fondly at the dog that he hadn't seen in three years, who had used his excellent nose to assist in the attempt to retrieve Sasuke when he left with Orochimaru's goons after Orochimaru had attacked the village.

Pakkun tilted his head as he regarded Naruto. "Hmnnh... Uzumaki Naruto..." he hummed thoughtfully as he recognized the blond haired ninja. "I have been as good as I could be." he said with a Kakashi-like drawl.

Kakashi rolled his eyes slightly. "Pakkun, we don't have a lot of time. Some thieves stole a rare scroll from the Nobu ancient scroll library and we are trying to see if we can catch up with them. Can you help track?" Pakkun looked back at his human partner and nodded very doglike. "Which way?" he asked lazily.

As they began to walk over to the pathway to allow the dogs to sniff around, Naruto looked back to see where the others went, and was able to catch Guy's team just lifting off on the ink birds with the Nobu monks in tow. Hinata's hair blew in the wind as her and Kiba's ink bird arced gracefully and rose higher above the treetops. Naruto let out a breath in a huff as he felt any earlier excitement he had for this mission diminish.

He turned slowly and then began to walk quicker as he realized he had fallen behind, Pakkun's canine team already seeming to zone in on a promising scent further down the path.

He twisted his neck to look back once more, and was able to just catch Hinata before she disappeared completely out of view. He watched as the outline of her figure became swallowed by the night sky until he heard Kakashi's voice.

"Naruto! Let's go!" Naruto snapped his head back around and began to jog. You're on a mission, idiot! he growled inwardly as he disappeared into the dark forest to join in chasing the dogs, who had hooked onto the enemies' scents.

* * *

Hinata slid off of her bird as Guy's team and the monks collectively disembarked. It had only been a five minute hop in the air from the water tower to the small village with the monks guiding the way. Now they were walking through the main gates of Nobu and being led to the library by Ginza and the other two monks. Hinata's watchful eyes shifted discreetly as she assessed the tense environment. The village was on high alert since the burglary - armed guards dotted the streets everywhere she looked. Even though it was the dead of night, some windows in residential buildings were lit, inhabitants standing in windows and door frames eying Guy's team suspiciously as they walked quickly to the town center. The security presence only increased as they approached the library. Ginza approached the guards standing in front of the library entrance.

"Let us pass. These are the ninjas assigned to help us with the burglary." he said. The guards looked over Guy and the three ninjas behind him, and then nodded and stepped aside. Guy bowed slightly in thanks, and began to walk up the stairs to the library, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino right behind him.

Hinata made a small noise of surprise as they stepped into the cool interior of the library. Although the building had looked small and modestly designed on the outside, on the inside it was decorated ornately and seemed much bigger due to the high vaulted ceiling. There was a small aisle lined with small oil lamps leading through the center of the building, with six to seven enormous double-sided bookcases on either side. The bookcases were made of dark oak, and their frames were inlaid with carved designs that featured gold and red lacquer accents. Each side of each bookcase must have held four to five hundred scrolls of varying size, age, and genre.

"Bleh, it smells so musty in here." Kiba said, his voice shattering the tranquility of the library. Hinata looked at him sternly, and he shrugged.

"Team, now is not the time to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings! Use the overwhelming power of your collective efforts to find any clues we need to capture those vile creatures who defiled this ancient place!" cried Guy. The three Chuunins looked at him and slowly inched away as Guy continued to spew more passionate exclamations. Shino approached Ginza.

"Where was that particular scroll placed in this library?" Ginza nodded and indicated for the three ninjas to follow him. He walked down the aisle, passing row after row of bookcases. He didn't stop until they were all the way at the back of the aisle, where he turned right into a tinier aisle in between the two last bookcases. He faced the bookcase that had a small label at the top that said "Restricted".

Ginza pointed to an empty spot in the bookcase. "This was where the scroll used to be." The Chuunin trio studied the gap.

"Do you know which scroll was taken? What was it about, or who wrote it?" asked Hinata.

"We are currently working on determining the answer to that question now. As you can see we have thousands of scrolls. It will take a while to go through the records to determine which one was taken. It doesn't help that it was from the Restricted section as well - many of these scrolls have unknown authors, or unclear publication dates. We are doing our best." responded Ginza.

Kiba set Akamaru to sniff around the area while Shino and Hinata took a look at a large hole in the ceiling directly above the bookcase, supposedly the place where the thieves broke in. Channeling chakra to their hands and feet, Hinata and Shino crawled up the wall to get a closer look at the snapped wooden beams. Using the Byakugan, Hinata looked closer at the gaping opening in the ceiling, searching for clues.

Later, Guy called the team over to assess together.

"Didn't find much, although Akamaru and I noticed this strange metallic smell that only surrounded the area where the missing scroll was." reported Kiba. "Maybe the thieves were wearing some sort of metal armor?" The others tilted their heads in thought.

"It is possible. From Ginza we know they were wearing cloaks. They could have had metal armor underneath." commented Shino.

He held up a small plastic bag with a piece of wood inside. One end was blackened as if it had been burnt.

"We believe chakra was used to break through the ceiling. The wood around the perimeter of the hole is blackened as this sample indicates. This follows Ginza's report about the thieves using chakra as a weapon. Besides creating multiple orbs of chakra, they also are able to concentrate it into one beam, which should explain the shape of the hole above."

Hinata nodded. She held up a small glass vial. Inside was a bit of greyish powder.

"We found this around the hole in the ceiling as well. It doesn't seem to be regular dust from the library, so we took a sample just in case it could actually be a clue." Guy took the vial and squinted at the substance within.

"Excellent job, team. If Kakashi's team is unable to locate the thieves, this all should prove very useful."

Just then another monk walked into the library and approached Ginza.

"Ginza, we may have been able to determine which scroll was taken." Ginza faced the monk. "Good. Please show me."

He indicated for Guy's team to follow him, and they nodded and packed away their pieces of evidence as they followed the monks out of the library.

Kakashi's team flew through the thick forest, tailing the pack of ninja dogs led by Pakkun racing down the unmarked trail below. Naruto held out his arms in a V shape behind him as he jumped nimbly using the tree branches. The dogs seemed confident in their hold on what they believed to be the enemy scent, a metallic-like smell according to Pakkun. The team was on alert as they soundlessly moved through the forest, mentally readying themselves in case of an attack.

Suddenly the pack curved to the right, and Naruto quickly leaned to the right to push off and continue following them. The dogs were beginning to slow, their ears beginning to prick in various directions. Kakashi, knowing that this meant they expected to hear activity nearby, signaled his team to focus, and they nodded back at him, beginning to spread out in an attack formation. Naruto began to hear a sound up ahead, and he frowned as he tried to peer through the moonlit forest. The sound continued to get louder and louder as they flew through the trees.

Finally the trees began to thin and Naruto located the source of the sound which had grown to a roar - a wide river, cutting through the forest. The ninjas cautiously hung back in the cover of the trees as they looked all around, trying to catch sight of any potential enemies. But the area seemed clear.

Pakkun and his pack continued to sniff around, two dogs standing guard on either side using their superior eyesight to catch any criminals. Naruto watched Pakkun cock his head and growl a few orders at his canine comrades, and the dogs began to fan out, sniffing around the large boulders that lined the riverbank.

Kakashi, seeing that there wasn't any immediate danger, dropped noiselessly to the ground by Pakkun. "Well? Were they here?"

Pakkun yawned. "Yes, this area is much more saturated with their scent. They must have stopped here after they had initially fled. But, from here it is hard to see where they went afterwards. I am having my team try to pick up the trail again."

Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Maybe they went into the water to get rid of their scent?"

Pakkun snorted and looked up at him disdainfully. "Humph... that would not work against us. Even if it rained for a week we still could have picked up the scent." Shikamaru just blinked at the dog's tone and shrugged.

One of the dogs began to bark. The team and Pakkun looked up to see the dogs circling a spot behind one of the boulders. The huge bulldog popped out of the right huddle and began to trot over to Kakashi, holding something in its huge jaws. Kakashi squatted as the dog came up to him and held out a hand, his one visible eye widening in surprise. There in his hand, slightly covered in dog drool, was the missing scroll!

"This is..." Kakashi muttered in confusion as Shikamaru, Sai, and Naruto crowded around him.

"Alright! Mission accomplished!" grinned Naruto, pumping a fist into the air. But Shikamaru scratched his head.

"I don't get it. What was the point of stealing it and then dumping it shortly after?" the brilliant strategist said. Kakashi remained quiet, checking the scroll in his hand.

Sai leaned forward to look closer. "I don't think they threw the entire thing away." he said, pointing to the edge of the scroll. Kakashi slowly unfurled the delicate paper, and all could see that the end had been haphazardly ripped off. Kakashi hummed in an ominous way.

"I feel my hunch may have been right."

* * *

Hinata peered down at the enormous scroll that held records of every single scroll that existed in the Nobu library, in order of when each was added to the collection. This particular scroll held all of the titles that were collected eighty years ago. She stood up for all moment to rub the fatigue from her eyes. It was late, well past midnight, and they had been on their feet for many hours.

Kiba groaned and slumped into a nearby chair, looking forlornly at Akamaru, who was already snoozing by his feet. The huge white dog knew it wouldn't be much help when it came to locating the title of the missing scroll. Currently, Ginza was debating with two other monks on a handful of potential titles that they had narrowed their search down to.

All of the options were scrolls that contained information on the Otsutsuki clan: the clan's main and branch family trees, the history of the Otsutsuki creating the known shinobi world on Earth, biographies on notable clan members including Kaguya, the founder of Earth, and her two twin sons: Hagoromo and Hamura. Various military accounts of Kaguya's White Zetsu Army could also be found. As Ginza suspected, all the scrolls had unknown authorship.

"So, we know the scroll must have something to do with the history of the Otsutsuki. So why would the thieves even want a scroll about that?" asked Hinata to no one in particular.

Shino steepled his fingers as he sat next to the long table full of records. "A good question. It seems most of these scrolls are high in value due to their rarity. But we cannot assume the scroll was stolen solely based on its value. Why? Because then why did the thieves not steal all of the other rare scrolls sitting right next to it?" Guy, the only one who still seemed to have an unnatural amount of energy so late into the night, nodded encouragingly.

"Precisely Shino! Kakashi had inferred the same earlier at the start of our mission. The thieves must have been searching for valuable information."

"So, what information could these scrolls have possibly contained that they would want to steal?" said Hinata, frowning down at the records before her. "The history of the Otsutsuki clan? There are many resources out there on them. None of these scrolls seem to hold any unique content."

The room was quiet except for a faint whispering sound as some delicately pulled open a few more fragile scrolls hoping for another clue. Ginza, who had stepped out not long ago with the other monks to attend to some small matter, finally came back in to thank the Konoha shinobi and politely request that they continue their search in the morning, offering for them to stay in one of the Nobu inns for free. Guy's team gratefully accepted their hospitality as they had been beginning to flag from fatigue, the time already well past two in the morning.

As they exited the library, Hinata turned to Ginza. "Has Kakashi's team returned yet?"

Ginza looked at her and shook his head. "Not yet. We have some sentries in our tower on the lookout for their arrival, and we will let you know as soon as we spot them."

Hinata smiled slightly and nodded her thanks, but felt worried as Ginza turned away and gestured for them to follow him into an inn that they had been walking to. _I hope you're ok, Naruto-kun,_ she prayed silently to herself.

* * *

Hinata was dozing lightly in her room that Ginza had given to her when an abrupt knock at her door roused her quickly. She reflexively grabbed the kunai she had kept under her pillow and tensed as the door creaked slowly open. She relaxed when she saw Kakashi's head poke in.

"Ah, hehe, good night - or er - morning Hinata. Could you possibly come meet us downstairs in a few minutes? We heard you found some grey dust residue in the library and we want to compare it to what my team found."

Hinata blinked and nodded, sliding to her feet as Kakashi closed the door to her room. Faint blue light was beginning to come throw her window, showing that dawn was on its way. A flutter coursed through her as she thought _Naruto-kun is back!_ She exhaled quickly, fully awake and struggling to contain her smile, inwardly groaning. _Will I ever be able to control my emotions?_ Before running out, she paused and vainly tried to fix her hair, which was slightly mussed up from sleeping.

* * *

Naruto yawned and sank into one of the chairs in the bar/restaurant area of the main floor of the inn. Because of the urgency of the situation they had not stopped to camp and rest all night, and his practically unlimited stamina was the only thing keeping him going. But once he stepped into the quiet inn, he already felt himself nodding off in the dimly lit room and had to allow himself to at least rest his feet. Shikamaru and Sai were also struggling to stay awake in the corner of the bar. Naruto slumped forward to rest his head in his folded arms on the dining table, the deep murmured tones of Kakashi and Ginza conversing quickly lulling him to sleep.

He didn't know how long he nodded off for, but his eyes fluttered open when an undeniably familiar scent drifted past his nose, and he jerked up when he heard a soft feminine voice joining the conversation.

He looked to his right and saw none other than Hinata sitting on one of the bar stools with Kakashi, Guy and Ginza standing around her. They were all looking at something on the bar that Naruto couldn't see from where he was. Naruto swallowed at the sight of Hinata, his quickening heart rapidly waking him back up. He got up slowly and walked over to join the huddled group, standing so that he was behind Hinata to her right.

They were all looking at a piece of parchment paper that had two small piles of dust on them. The missing scroll was to Hinata's right, while an open glass vial was to her left.

Kakashi didn't bother acknowledging Naruto. "So, they are the same, Hinata?"

Hinata leaned closer to the piles of dust. By glancing at her side profile Naruto noticed she was engaging her Byakugan.

"Yes, I'm very sure they are the same. It is just strange..." she trailed off, delicately touching one of the dust samples and rubbing it between two fingers.

Ginza spoke. "What is strange?"

Hinata shook her head slowly. "It's just, I've never seen this composition of minerals before. It is not like any typical kind of soil or sand or dust debris. It isn't even like other compositions I've seen before from other countries." she murmured.

Kakashi hummed in thought. "Yes that is a bit strange. It looks like we will need our science lab to take a look." he commented. He turned to Ginza. "For now, it looks like we will need to mark this mission as closed pending any new developments. We have brought you the scroll, although I regret it is not in one piece."

Ginza nodded gratefully. "We are indebted to your very capable team, Kakashi-san. We will continue to diligently be on the lookout for further criminal activity. We would appreciate Konoha's help with analyzing the evidence if that gets us closer to apprehending the thieves. In the meantime, I would like to offer our inn for your team to rest and recover. I know it has been a long night."

As they talked, Hinata began to carefully place the samples back into her glass vial by tipping the parchment paper to let the powder slip back into the vial. She suddenly became aware of someone standing next to her and she twisted her head to see Naruto standing just behind her. His head was turned briefly while he listened to Kakashi and Ginza speak.

Her light gasp cause him to snap his head back to look at her.

"G-good morning, Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered, looking at how handsome the object of her affections looked as his masculine features were partially lit by the candles lining the bar.

Ironically, Naruto was thinking just the same thing. In the candlelight, Hinata's eyes, which no longer channeled the Byakugan, shone a deep violet. It took his breath away how her eye color seemed to change all the time just like that. It made it feel like he was looking at them for the first time all over again.

Despite his earlier nerves, a smile graced his lips.

"Hey, Hinata." he said warmly. Hinata returned his smile with a tiny one of her own.

"You look tired, Naruto-kun." she said, her smile growing minimally before she turned back to cork her vial and place it in her bag for safekeeping. Naruto blinked and stuck his hands in his pockets, snorting softly at her comment.

"What? Me? Tired? Nahh, I'm fine!" he scoffed, straightening his posture and looking at her with fully opened eyes. Hinata looked back at him with one eyebrow raised slightly. They held each other's gaze until Naruto couldn't help but grin sheepishly and rub the back of his head.

"Yeah I'm really freaking tired." he admitted. Hinata's eyes twinkled and she covered her mouth to hide some quiet giggles. Naruto's chest puffed in excitement as he saw her laugh because of him. Now that they had spoken to each other he wanted to say even more, but Kakashi chose that moment to interrupt.

"So, that's settled then. Some of us will be going back to Konoha to deliver the evidence to the science labs, while the others can rest up here before heading back later in the morning."

He looked at Hinata. "Hinata, how do you feel? Are you awake enough to head back to Konoha now?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, Kakashi-san. I was able to rest for a couple of hours."

Kakashi nodded. "Good. I was hoping you could communicate your thoughts on the samples to the science team when we get back. I'd like to get a move on with analyzing these pieces of evidence."

He looked around the room. Shikamaru and Sai were comically leaning against each other in the opposite corner of the room, snoring quite loudly.

"It would make sense to let my team sleep before they head out. So Guy's team can leave first..."

Naruto momentarily tuned him out as an image of Hinata sharing a ride with Kiba popped into his mind. His fists clenched in his pockets as that same irritated feeling he had felt earlier washed over him, causing him to temporarily lose his already weak ability to keep his mouth shut.

"I want to go too!" he said suddenly, causing Kakashi to pause and look at him strangely. Hinata turned to look at him, but he fought the urge to gaze back at her.

"I, uh, let me go with them." he said awkwardly. "I'm ready to go now."

Kakashi looked as if he was about to say something, but Guy beat him. "Maybe that would be better, Kakashi. I for one know that Kiba will be extremely difficult to wake up right now. I had tried to wake him earlier when you arrived but it seems he needs more time to revive the flames of his youth!" he said with a knowing smile.

Kakashi looked at his Jonin comrade tiredly and rolled his one visible eye with a sigh. He didn't want to spend time deliberating over this. He turned back to Naruto.

"Alright fine. You better not fall asleep and fall off of your bird, Naruto."

Naruto just grinned widely before remembering himself and clearing his throat, plastering an aloof expression on his face. "Psht, like that would happen!"

That being decided, Guy went to get Shino while Kakashi roused Sai so that he could generate new ink birds for the departing shinobi. As Sai awoke, Shikamaru was jostled from his slumber and nearly jumped three feet into the air when he saw how close he had been to Sai, causing Hinata to giggle and Naruto to snicker loudly.

The two looked at each other and made eye contact before both quickly pulling away to gather their things. If only each knew that the other was thinking the same thing.

 _I'm going to fly with her!_

 _He's going to fly with me!_

The group gathered outside to say their quick goodbyes to the monks of Nobu before turning to mount their birds.

"Thank you for your hospitality." said Guy, bowing deeply and coming back up with a huge smile on his face. To himself Naruto thought - _how is he able to smile like that at this hour?!_

As Guy and Kakashi exchanged a few more parting words, Hinata and Naruto faced the large ink bird standing patiently behind them. Naruto had been nervous that Hinata would potentially choose to fly with Shino, but she didn't say a word as Shino mounted the other bird and instead remained by Naruto's side, to his great relief.

Hinata looked at Sai's bird and took a couple of steps toward it before pausing. She had secretly loved the feeling of flying on the way to Nobu and had hoped for a chance to sit in front to be able to direct the bird. But when she had asked Kiba before they took off in Konoha, he had whined about wanting to steer and said she could on the way back. But now that she was with Naruto she didn't want to ruin it by pouting about wanting to steer like a child.

Naruto had watched her start towards the bird and then stop to glance at him with an apologetic smile.

"Go ahead, Naruto-kun." she said, stepping aside for him.

But Naruto just smiled. "No way, ladies first!" he said. His smile grew as Hinata looked at him with wide eyes before quickly walking up to the bird and nimbly jumping up onto its back. Naruto didn't waste any time following suit. Once he was up there, he scooched up carefully behind her.

Once Guy had also climbed on and they said their final good byes, they were suddenly off.

Within just a few minutes, they had reached a comfortable cruising height somewhere between the ground and the clouds. The sun had already risen over the horizon and was quickly brightening the sky from black to blue.

From his position Naruto was able to let his eyes roam free over Hinata's figure without really worrying about her or anyone else seeing. Her indigo hair was flowing from side to side from the rushing air. The way some of the strands occasionally caressed her bare shoulders made him remember when he barely but touched her there when he had fixed her dress strap. He swallowed as he saw how her waist tapered around her midsection and then curved back out to her amazing hips and... Warmth washed over his face as he snagged a few quick looks at her behind, sucking air in as he took in its juicy roundness that was accentuated by her straddled position. It was sitting innocently less than a foot away from his crotch. If he just slid forward...

He let out a breath and wrenched his eyes away to stare safely at the back of her head. He would rather die than let himself get aroused and have her notice while they were flying.

Hinata struggled to find something to say to the golden haired boy behind her, but nothing interesting or witty could come to mind. She hadn't thought about the fact that Uzumaki Naruto would be staring at the back of her head for more than an hour and now she felt quite self-conscious about how she might appear from behind. Suddenly a nerve-wracking thought came to mind.

"I-Is my hair in your face...?" she asked, twisting slightly to look at Naruto from the corner of her eye and pulling her hair to one side with a hand. Naruto looked at her slightly surprised. Her hair had been occasionally tickling his face when a particular gust of wind would blow a certain way, but it hadn't been bothering him. He was actually enjoying having any part of her touch him without him making her. He was just sad that the wind was whipping away her sweet scent before he could indulge in it.

"No, you're fine." he said. She nodded and turned back around, still trying to tuck her hair to the side, making Naruto pout silently.

He dug his nails slightly into the bird's back, trying to reel in his emotions. _Just talk to her like you always did_ , he reasoned desperately, _there's nothing different about her. The dream didn't change anything about her!_

"So... how are you able to tell where soil or sand is from?" he ventured.

She turned her head halfway, and he could see how long her eyelashes were from her side profile.

"Well, I don't necessarily know how to determine where some soil comes from. I can use the Byakugan to look at the different minerals and elements that exist within a given sample, and I can hypothesize a few likely places where that sample could be from based on what I know about the ground composition in various places." she replied.

Naruto cocked his head. "Hold up. How does the Byakugan let you do that?"

Hinata hummed thoughtfully. "Well it's hard to describe... basically we can adjust the Byakugan like one would adjust binoculars, or a microscope. I can zoom in on some soil and notice certain markers that help me know what types of minerals are present. Like certain metals like aluminum stand out pretty noticeably, as well as certain sediments like sandstone or limestone. For other minerals I have to zoom in even more to identify them."

Naruto grunted. "I didn't know the Byakugan could do that..."

Hinata smiled. "Oh definitely. I've had to use it quite a bit in my missions over the last few years."

Naruto looked at her. "So, what is your best guess with what you know now?" He wanted to know. He wanted to hear her voice.

Hinata was quiet for a moment. "The only thing I know that is most similar is volcanic ash. The consistency of the dust along with the high presence of pulverized rock. But that's it. It doesn't contain the same amount of minerals that I'd expect to see from some of the known volcanoes in this part of the country. I haven't seen many volcanic samples before so it could just be my unfamiliarity. But there are a lot of noticeable differences so... it's just really strange. It doesn't look natural but it doesn't look man made either."

Naruto chuckled. "Maybe it's not from this world then."

Hinata giggled softly. "Your guess is as good as mine." Naruto's smile grew.

The pair grew quiet again.

Hinata breathed in deeply. The wind was blowing through her hair, the warm sun was on her face, and she was zooming hundreds of feet in the air with the love of her life right behind her. She looked down at the ground below and watched as large meadows and riverbanks passed underneath them. The adrenaline from the excitement of flying as well as having Naruto so close to her coursed through her veins and she just… she just wanted to…

Hinata tentatively leaned to her right, pushing her right ankle gently into the side of the bird. The ink bird smoothly tilted and they shifted a few feet to the right until Hinata quickly straightened. She waited a few moments, and after hearing nothing from Naruto she leaned again to the left to shift them back over.

"Hinata?" she heard an amused voice behind her. She blushed lightly and giggled again.

"Sorry… I just wanted to see what would happen…"

Naruto grinned, picking up on her intentions. "No it's ok, go ahead! I don't mind."

Hinata looked at him from the corner of her wide eye, a look of childish hope flashing through her lavender orbs. Naruto nodded in encouragement and she whipped back around excitedly. Before Naruto could say anything further, she leaned into a hard right.

The ink bird responded as if it already knew exactly what Hinata wanted to do. They swerved from side to side, first starting in small arcs that gradually widened. Hinata couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face as they swooped in the air, and she turned back to look at Naruto.

Naruto's grin spread from ear to ear, his piercing azure eyes mirroring her excitement. He breathed in sharply when Hinata turned to look at him, looking so shockingly beautiful with her cheeks flushed and the corners of her lovely eyes crinkling from the cheeky grin on her face.

They swooped and dipped for a bit, but Hinata did not want to overdo it lest Naruto got tired of all the motion. But she knew if she could have her way she would push the bird to its absolute limits to see how fast she could go, the wide expanse of the clear blue sky for the taking.

As they flew over another large clearing, Hinata looked down longingly at the huge lake passing below. She had such a great urge to just aim downwards and let herself free fall, but she couldn't do that with Naruto on board, he would totally freak! He would probably never want to fly with her again -

"Do it, Hinata." she heard his voice, saturated with mischief. She turned in surprise to regard him, seeing the wily glint in his eye and the smirk on his face. Naruto had been watching Hinata look down at the large lake below and for some reason, he just knew what she was thinking from the way she fidgeted in her seat, her feet flexing as she tapped her toes against the bird as if itching to force it downwards. Hinata raised her eyebrows in both disbelief and as a question, and he nodded encouragingly. A smile slowly returned to her lips as she nodded back, decided.

She faced forward again. "Hold on, Naruto-kun…"

He barely had time to register her soft voice when he felt them tip forward. The world seemed to stop as the rushing wind in their ears died down and the bird slowly deepened its descent, pitching forward almost sluggishly. They hung in the air for a second.

And then they plummeted.

Each rider yelled out giddily as they experienced adrenaline-inducing weightlessness while the bird shot towards the water like a missile. The wind roared in Hinata's ears as they got closer to the water with each passing second. Despite the rush she was feeling she kept her eyes trained ahead, waiting for the right moment…

She suddenly leaned back and shoved the toes of her shoes under the bird's neck, and the ink bird pulled up sharply just as they had come within twenty feet of the surface of the lake. The bird sped parallel to the water, sailing at top speed thanks to the momentum from their free fall. The force of their movements caused a strong wind current to buffet the lake below them, making two walls of water rise up on either side in their wake.

"Ahhhhhh!" Naruto yelled with abandon, raising his arms over his head and throwing his head back in delight. The melodic sound of Hinata's unrestricted laughter rang out and he picked his head back up to look at her. She was leaning into their charge down the huge lake. She turned to look at him as he shared her laughter, and regarded the way his arms were raised up in a carefree manner. She faced forward again and carefully relinquished her hold on the bird's neck. Naruto watched as she slowly raised her slender arms higher and higher, until her hands were pointing to the sky. Hinata let out a breathless laugh and looked back at him over her shoulder, blushing when she saw Naruto's wolfish grin.

"So kickass." he said, his eyes glittering. Butterflies exploded in Hinata's stomach at his look of admiration and she turned back around, willing herself to control the overwhelming sensations within her.

"Ahhhhhh!" she shouted as loud as possible. Naruto blinked at her high-pitched shout and let out a deep laugh before joining her in the ridiculous battle cry.

Hinata lowered her arms as she saw they were fast approaching the end of the lake, and it was time to pull up or else they would crash in the thick forest. She raised a hand and pointed it to the sky to remind Naruto to brace himself, and he nodded, lowering his hands and tightening his legs around the bird's back.

Hinata used her feet to nudge the bird to pull back up, enjoying the feeling of getting higher despite the pull of gravity, and they easily passed the treetops. They soared up to rejoin Guy and Shino, giggling like children, only to fall silent when they saw Guy slow to fly alongside them.

"You two! I understand the fires of youth burn strongly within you and you have to release it often lest you become overwhelmed with the power, but you must save those moments for other times. Remember we are still on a mission!" he called over the rushing wind.

Hinata cringed and quickly apologized, while Naruto just bit his lip to stop himself from laughing and nodded. They fell behind Guy and Shino. Naruto nudged Hinata and they made eye contact when she peeked over her shoulder. They stared at each other for a moment and then burst into muffled giggles and snickers.

"Aw man, that was great." Naruto sighed as he finally got over his laughing fit. "We gotta ask Sai if we can take his birds for joyrides more often!" Hinata just shook her head with a small laugh. He grinned. "I don't think you've ever been that loud before Hinata. Ever. When was the last time you yelled like that?"

Hinata flushed and looked back at him with narrowed eyes that just sent him into another laughing fit. It was impossible for Hinata to look angry. If anything, her mad face just made her seem more adorable.

He bit his lip nervously as that thought came to mind. _She's your friend, she's your friend, she's your friend_ …

The landscape began to appear more familiar as the small crew drew closer to Konoha. Hinata looked at a cluster of rock formations that she recognized from countless past missions.

"It won't be much longer now." she said more to herself. Naruto looked up at her voice and took a glance around. The fatigue had finally caught up to him and it was quickly beginning harder and harder to stay alert.

"Hmm... yeah..." he grunted, rubbing his face vigorously in an effort to jostle himself awake. But as the minutes passed, he barely felt his eyelids drooping further and further, and his head began to fall forward. A few times he caught himself just as he began to slouch, and he would jerk back and rapidly shake his head stubbornly.

Then he nodded off so bad that his forehead bumped Hinata's shoulder before he could catch himself.

Hinata jumped slightly and turned to look at him as he quickly apologized. "Ack, heh, sorry, Hinata." he said hurriedly. Hinata blinked and murmured that it was okay before turning back around.

Naruto diligently sat straight, determined to not fall asleep. But the rushing wind in his ears turned into white noise that eased him into a trancelike state, and his eyelids began to flutter again.

Hinata was doing a perfunctory sweep of the area around them with her Byakugan as she had been doing periodically throughout the trip when she felt Naruto nudge her again. She froze when she swiveled her head only to be presented with blonde hair everywhere. Naruto was resting his head on her shoulder, his face turned away from her.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata's voice trembled as the fluttery feeling resurfaced at full force in her diaphragm.

Naruto grunted as his eyes blinked open and then closed again. Suddenly he jerked up so hard he almost fell backwards.

"Oh… man! I'm so sorry Hinata, really, I just... for some reason I can't keep my eyes open!" he babbled, feeling his cheeks flush from embarrassment. He rubbed his eyes roughly as he heard a soft giggle from in front of him.

"It's ok, Naruto-kun... if you want, you…you can rest your h-head on my sh-shoulder." Naruto looked at her, his sleepy eyes wide open again. She looked back at him from the corner of her lavender eye, a trace of a smile on her face.

"We are almost there, so... it won't be long anyways." she continued, facing forward again.

"Are you... sure it's ok?" Naruto breathed. He didn't want to make her do anything she didn't want to do. And possibly risk them getting in trouble again by Guy. But he was _so_ freaking tired. He could feel the drowsiness yanking his eyelids down. And the thought of his head being so close to hers, his cheeks touching her bare shoulder...

He watched as she nodded her head again.

"Well... ok. Thank you. But… tell me if I'm too heavy, seriously! Or wake me up if Guy gets mad." he said, still hesitating as he waited for her to respond, wondering if she would change her mind.

But she didn't. "No worries, Naruto-kun." she replied in a lighthearted tone. She even pulled her hair aside to make room on her shoulder. Naruto couldn't help but smile and bite the inside of his lip as he leaned forward, jittery feelings overtaking him once more.

Hinata held her breath as she felt his warm cheek gently press against her partially covered shoulder once more. He raised it slightly and set it down again a couple of times as they shifted to find a comfortable position. A quick glance showed that he was still facing away from her, which was for the best as Hinata felt she would definitely faint if he had pointed his face towards her neck. The thought of his lips being that close to her bare neck sent violent shivers down her spine.

The warmth from his body enveloped her from behind even though only his head was touching her. The heat felt so good and she leaned back just a bit to get even closer as one would cozy up to a fireplace after being out in the snow. When she turned her head just slightly she could smell his scent through his hair. It was an earthy, masculine smell that was just very _Naruto_ , and she longed to push her nose into it and breathe deeply. The butterfly effect was surprisingly not as strong as she thought. She mostly felt a tranquil peacefulness fall over her as they sailed through the air, detached from the world and all its troubles.

Naruto couldn't even identify what he was feeling. It was a combination of excitement, nervousness, desire, and embarrassment, with a healthy dose of fatigue-induced deliriousness on the side. Her skin was smooth like silk, he had felt it when he had been adjusting his head. The back of his head felt warm from the heat from her neck, and it paradoxically sent shivers down his spine that raised the hairs at the nape of his neck. He was not fully relaxed as he was scared to put all his weight on her.

"I'm just resting my eyes." he murmured, still worried that she would push him off. All he heard was her gentle laugh that slightly jostled his head.

"Mhmm…" she hummed. Naruto's mouth twitched into an almost smile, hearing her teasing undertone, but he already felt himself drifting. Her shoulder was at just the right height…

Hinata felt Naruto press down even more on her shoulder and she realized that he was falling into a deeper sleep. She smiled and closed her eyes briefly as she experienced his comforting weight, his shoulders pushing against her ever so slightly each time he inhaled. Luckily he was pushing straight down and not at an angle so that she wasn't being pushed forward. He just felt so big and dominant to her in that position, and she swallowed as inappropriate thoughts slipped into her mind. If she just shifted her hips back just a tad, her behind would be pressed right up against his…

She tried to control the shudder that ran through her and quickly stashed those incriminating thoughts away deep into her mind. How could she be thinking of something like that right now? She was not a pervert!

So Hinata settled in and just let herself get caught up in the moment of having her and Naruto touching so closely for so long for the first time in her life.

* * *

Naruto dreamed he was lying on an enormous silk pillow, bigger than a king-sized bed. It was so comfortable he felt swaddled in the contentment he felt. What's more, when he pressed an ear to the pillow, he heard this curious sound.

Bump _bump_ , bump _bump_ , bump _bump_

He didn't know what it was, but it just made him feel so warm and happy. Just like, well…what else made him feel like that?

Wait, of course…

Ramen!

"Naruto-kun…"

He frowned slightly. For some reason he felt like he knew that voice.

"It's time to get up…"

He pouted inwardly and stubbornly pushed his head further into the pillow. He didn't want to leave! This was the best place ever.

"Naruto-kun." the voice repeated, sounding louder than before.

"Mmm…not yet." he mumbled out loud. Suddenly, he felt a tickly feeling on his forehead.

"Naruto-kun!"

His eyes snapped open, and he was immediately left with the visual of pale slender fingers drawing away from his face. He blinked, slightly discombobulated, and breathed in. His senses were immediately filled with the smell of lavender.

 _Her_ smell.

He shot up suddenly, remembering where he was. His eyes were fixed on the petite frame of Hinata, who was turned around to look at him with an amused smile on her face.

"We are here, Naruto-kun." she said, her eyes twinkling as she watched him wake up. She didn't think her love for Naruto could increase any further, but she was immediately proven wrong when she saw how adorable he looked rubbing the sleep from his eyes and squinting around sullenly.

"Oh wow, that was quick…" he murmured, looking down below to see the sprawling cityscape of Konoha coming into view.

"It was only twenty minutes." Hinata commented, facing forward again. Naruto blinked, looking back at her.

"Twenty minutes?! Jeez I swear I just closed my eyes for ten seconds!" he exclaimed, scratching the back of his head.

Hinata giggled. "You were very tired, Naruto-kun." He smiled ruefully.

"Haha, yeah I guess I was. Thanks, Hinata." he added softly. He appreciated that she had woken him before they had touched the ground so that Guy wouldn't catch him sleeping on the job.

In what seemed like no time at all, they had landed safely in front of the Konoha main gates, right where they had left the day before. Hinata waited for Naruto to get off and then swung over one leg to let herself slide off as well.

Just as she leaned forward, she felt a strong hand take hold of hers. She looked up in surprise to see Naruto standing in front of her, an unreadable expression on his face. He helped her down as she slowly slipped down the side of the bird. Once her feet touched the ground his hand vanished and he turned quickly to start heading to Guy as she blinked in surprise.

 _Idiot_ , he cursed at himself, struggling to control the blush overtaking his face. _She's a ninja. She can conjure waves that are four stories high! She doesn't need help getting off a damn ink bird! Why am I being so stupid, why why why_ WHY _?_

Meanwhile, Hinata was reeling inside from his chivalrous gesture, feeling as she did when he walked her home from Narita.

The thoughts of both ninjas were put on pause as Guy called them over to regroup.

"Alright! Let's head to the Hokage to report. Hinata, I will take you afterwards to the science lab to turn in that evidence. Naruto, Shino, you both may retire after we see the Hokage." The young ninjas nodded and let Guy lead the way through the gates.

* * *

"Huh... I see." Tsunade crossed her arms across her bountiful chest as she regarded the four shinobi in front of her. "So they took what they needed and left the scroll."

"Exactly, Hokage-sama." answered Guy. "A most peculiar turn of events. Kakashi and the rest of the team should be on their way from Nobu now, we let them stay behind to rest while we went ahead to get back to Konoha. Kakashi wants to have the evidence we found analyzed by your scientists as soon as possible as the clues may help us identify the thieves."

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "Good, let's get that rolling then. It is good the scroll has been mostly returned at least, but I am also not liking the strangeness of the thieves' actions. There sounds like there is more to this story."

She looked at the rest of the team. "Good work, I thank you all for your efforts." Naruto, Shino, and Hinata accepted her praise with murmurs of thanks.

"Hinata, do you mind staying before you head to the lab? I'd like to see the samples for myself." said Tsunade. Hinata bowed slightly and stepped forward slowly to take a seat at the Hokage's desk. Tsunade indicated that the others could take their leave. Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets, lingering for a second as he tried to see how he could say goodbye to Hinata, but quickly thought against it, not wanting to make it into a thing. He knew Tsunade would make it into a _thing_ the next time he saw her. Before stepping out the door he took a last glance and paused as he saw Hinata looking back at him. His mouth twitched into a small smile and he slowly held up a hand in goodbye. Hinata blinked and then smiled back, nodding at him.

His smile faded as he walked down the steps from the Hokage's office. Outside the building, he looked up to the window to Tsunade's office was, its shutters open to let in the cool air. Of course he couldn't see Hinata from that position, but he was disappointed anyways. He wished he could have said something to her before he left. He contemplated for a moment waiting for her outside and accompanying her to the science lab, but quickly thought against it. _Come on Naruto, wake up,_ he thought, gritting his teeth.

"You know your feelings are becoming stronger for someone when you want to see them all the time, to the point where it hurts to be away, and you can't even bear to be away from them even for a couple of hours."

Naruto blinked as he recalled Iruka's words. _Iruka was wrong,_ he thought, rubbing his chest with one of his hands to try to quell a dull ache he felt. _It doesn't just hurt emotionally._

He ran a hand through his hair as he started walking to his apartment and looked up at the sky, and could have sworn that one cloud looked like a big white bird.


	10. Chapter 10

(A/N): I'm glad everyone is enjoying this story so far. I thoroughly enjoy writing it. It is great to get reviews, so please do continue to leave a review with some feedback! Many have said this story is underrated =) so help me build up those reviews!

This chapter was a bit hard to write. But it is my longest chapter yet!

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER TEN – THE FIGHT**

Naruto yawned and stretched lazily as he waited for his water to heat up so he could prepare his fourth cup of instant ramen. He had allowed himself to have a day off the day after the mission to Nobu and decided to spend some time looking through the Konoha education budget files that he had borrowed from Shizune. He didn't think he would get so engrossed in the files, but he read through every line of the big charts for the past ten years. Usually he hated anything to do with numbers as he had been terrible at math at the Academy, but he found himself using a pencil to circle interesting numbers and annotate margins with the questions that popped into his mind. He had barely noticed how much time had gone by until his stomach growled angrily and he realized he had been going at it for three hours!

He finally saw the amounts that had been allotted to the arts fund prior to Orochimaru's attack, and he was surprised that the costs were so small compared to other spend areas. He had thought the arts fund would have been expensive since it had been one of the first things to go once the reconstruction started, but it was nothing compared to the amounts he saw for other random line items. Ten thousand ryo a year just for the Education chairman to travel to other countries and attend educational conferences? He had seen the Education chairman once or twice he thought. A wrinkly old fart who seemed to have a stick up his ass. The arts fund cost only a fraction of the amount he used for his little vacations.

Then there was the budget for building maintenance. The forecasted amounts were constantly higher than the actual amounts spent, no matter which year you looked at. Why allocate so much there when it wasn't even all used?

He sat back down with a steaming hot cup of ramen and chewed slowly while he remained deep in thought. There should definitely be enough money for the arts fund. It barely cost anything compared to other expenses and there was excess spend everywhere. He had used a separate piece of paper to capture all the spend areas that he thought were fishy, but he was a bit lost trying to calculate how much they could save to revive the arts fund.

 _I need help with this part_ , he thought. _Maybe Sakura or Shikamaru could figure it out..._

He had thought about showing it to Hinata, but for some reason he didn't want to reveal anything to her just yet. He didn't even know why he was getting so caught up with this.

 _It's because it would be important for the students!_

He nodded vigorously.

That made sense, for sure!

And while that was true, he knew deep down it wasn't the whole thing.

HMMM... YES I BELIEVE I KNOW THIS FEELING QUITE WELL.

Naruto sat up straight and then slouched again when he registered that it was just the Kyuubi.

 _Oh yeah? And what feeling is that exactly?_ he answered tiredly.

THIS IS THE SAME FEELING I HAD WHEN I WAS COURTING MY MATE. SHE WAS PURPOSEFULLY MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO CLAIM HER SO I HAD TO RESORT TO -

 _Wait... you have a mate?!_ Naruto thought in disbelief.

The Kyuubi sighed. It had accepted long ago that Naruto had no qualm with interrupting him.

YES... AND THAT IS ALL I WILL SAY ON THE MATTER! it snarled as it felt Naruto's follow up questions stacking up rapidly. Naruto frowned and sat back as the Kyuubi continued.

I HAD TO WIN HER BY BRINGING HER GIFTS. I BROUGHT HER THE CARCASSES OF MY ENEMIES, THE SOULS OF THE HUMANS I HAD KILLED, I EVEN-

 _Can you skip to the point, please?_ Naruto gritted his teeth, trying not to visualize the gory details.

The Kyuubi grumbled. YOU WANT TO MAKE HER ACCEPT YOU BY PRESENTING HER WITH THIS GIFT, SOMETHING YOU KNOW THAT SHE WANTS. BY DOING THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MATE WITH HER AND HAVE MANY ANNOYING DISGUSTING HUMAN OFFSPRING.

Naruto blushed all the way to his ears. _Th-that's not true!_ he responded angrily. _I'm not doing any of this just to get into her pants! Hinata is my_ friend _and I don't know if anything might come out of any of this, and I don't want to get her hopes up!_

He sat back with a smirk, satisfied with his response.

The Kyuubi laughed slowly. AH, I SEE. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MAKE ANY PROMISES THAT YOU CANNOT KEEP, JUST LIKE HOW YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD BRING BACK YOUR PRECIOUS UCHIHA...

Naruto stood up quickly. _I've had enough._ he said inwardly in a low voice. He concentrated to pull up a mental wall between him and the Kyuubi, and clenched his teeth as he heard the Kyuubi's roaring laughter fade away slowly.

He let out a breath and threw his pencil down in irritation, his mood ruined. The Kyuubi had hit a nerve when it challenged his ability to make good on his promise regarding Sasuke. Despite his steadfast determination and persistence, there were times where even he felt discouraged and worried that bringing home Sasuke may indeed never happen.

He shook his head furiously from side to side. He knew the Kyuubi liked to rile him up and that he shouldn't listen to anything it says. Regardless, he no longer had the motivation to continue reading through the files. He felt like punching something instead.

He turned abruptly to head to his room and change into his jumpsuit. It would be good to let some of his anger out at the training grounds.

* * *

Hinata knelt statue-like on the floor pillow in the uncomfortably quiet meeting room. To each of her sides sat a row of men, so old that their leathery skin hung in folds around their necks and forearms. On the low table before her were cups of hot jasmine tea. And directly across from her was her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, sitting stoically.

"Hinata-sama, have you talked to Umino Iruka about our recommendation?" said one elder to her left in a wheezy voice.

Hinata bowed her head ever so slightly. "Yes. I told him of the teacher candidates from the short list the council had put together and he said he would consider their histories." she said, her voice devoid of emotion. Another elder leaned forward.

"We have already very diligently collected detailed accounts of each of their levels of experience. They are considered to be some of the finest teachers in the Fire Country. And they are all available to start immediately." he said, his pale pupil-less eyes, which lacked any of the softness or beautiful coloring that Hinata's possessed, bored straight into hers. "There should be no reason for him to have to spend time researching their backgrounds."

Hinata pressed her lips together in a tight line. It has been this way ever since she started teaching. At first her clan did not think much of it, thinking it was a short-term position that would only last a few months. But once she took the full-time role, their stance changed rapidly. Initially they had confronted her directly about it, immediately rejecting her own "selfish" desires to pursue her interests, and threatened to raise hell if she continued to work at the Academy. Luckily, when she told Iruka about it, he stubbornly refused to let the Hyuuga clan have its way, and he escalated the issue all the way to Tsunade.

Many knew the Fifth Hokage did not feel any kind of love towards the strict Hyuuga clan with its "better-than-thou" ideology, and she gladly whipped up several counter attacks, including making Hinata's teaching role into a long-term C rank mission. She cited that more teachers were needed to prepare the next generation of shinobi, as Konoha had to ensure they could fill the gaping hole in their shinobi resource pool created by Orochimaru's deadly attack.

That clever move kept Hinata's clan at bay for a while, although the Hokage couldn't protect her from the disdainful comments shot at her during countless clan meetings. But over time the clan became increasingly cunning in their efforts to end Hinata's "mission". This discussion was part of their latest attempt to thwart Hinata, which focused on finding new teachers to eliminate the apparent "lack" of educational staff.

She had indeed shown Iruka the list of teachers. He had turned down his nose at all the names, recognizing them and noting that they taught in the same old style that paled in comparison to Hinata's innovative methodology. He told her that he would find a way to work around this latest threat to her happiness.

"I understand, and he thanks you all for the additional effort. It is routine for the head teacher of the Academy to perform his own review of teaching candidates and he will use your input as well as his own." she replied diplomatically.

The elders murmured amongst themselves, obviously irked. Many looked to Hyuuga Hiashi, who had been silent for most of the discussion.

He finally inclined his head. "We hope that Iruka-san is able to come to a decision...soon." he said in a deep, clipped tone, maintaining eye contact with his daughter as he pronounced that last word. "It is long overdue that you finish your time at the Academy and prepare yourself for clan leadership. Teaching at the Ninja Academy is not a position that is fit for the heiress of the Hyuuga main branch."

Hinata felt warmth rising to her cheeks, but it wasn't the same reaction that occurred when Naruto was around. She was tired, tired of hearing the same thing repeatedly. She didn't want to prepare for clan leadership. She didn't want to lead a group of people who thought they were better than everyone else, who inflicted the caged bird seal on their own family members to control them and maintain this ridiculous set up of main branch versus side branch. These people never supported her and made her think she was worthless for years. It wasn't until she worked under Yuhi Kurenai did she realize that her family's methods were wrong, and that she had self-worth, that her feelings and thoughts were valid.

But she maintained her rigid posture and bowed her head again once more. "Yes tou-sama. I understand your concerns. I am just working to ensure that we do not disrupt the student's routines with a sudden teacher transition."

Hiashi looked at her with narrowed eyes. But the meeting was ending, so he nodded curtly and waved his hand to indicate to the others that the discussion was adjourned.

Hinata quickly rose and turned on her heel to leave the room before any of the elders tried to throw a few more condescending words her way. Even though she wanted to run, she walked briskly through the long hallways towards the residential end of the compound. She was almost positive the elders and her father were watching her retreat with their Byakugan.

She clenched her hands, her fingernails digging into her palms. She was always running away. She never could speak up for herself, instead letting others fight her battles for her, like Iruka and even the Hokage! She was such a coward!

Finally making it to her room, she closed the door not too lightly and slid to the floor, her back against the wall.

 _I don't know if I can hold them off any longer,_ she thought weakly. _Even if we reject all their "replacements" they will just find another way. I wouldn't be surprised if they restrained me by force one of these days._

 _And then..._ she gritted her teeth. Then they would lock her in the compound like a prisoner, only able to go outside during her Gentle Fist training sessions. She would be thrown into meetings for hours, being subjected to listening to the prattling elders who grumbled about disrespectful branch members or discussed ways to ensure the Hyuuga's self-righteous interests were represented in the Office of the Hokage.

But the thing that scared her the most, even more than a hundred clan meetings or an Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms strike to the chest, were the dreaded two words...

Arranged marriage.

Her breathing quickened as her anxiety grew. No. Above everything, she could not let that happen. She envisioned Naruto, smiling at her, talking to her. He was The One, the only one she could ever love. She knew no one could ever compare to the blond ninja with piercing blue eyes.

Feeling sick to her stomach, she looked around her room. She didn't want to be here. But where could she go?

Her eyes fell on the scroll that held her water fans. A small smile finally appeared on her face. Yes...that was exactly what she wanted to do.

* * *

Hinata walked at a clipped pace, eager to get as far away from her home as possible. It was starting to get chillier as the days went by, and a brisk wind was picking up, yanking dying leaves from the trees and making her zip up her pink hoodie. She turned a corner and crossed the street, breathing deeply as she saw the entrance to the training grounds before her. She was glad she decided to come here.

She stepped past the gate and kept moving, her footsteps muffled by the soft grass. Practically jogging now, she made her way towards the practice posts.

She came to the peak of a small hill and suddenly stopped. There was someone else in the training area below, standing in the middle of three heavily scratched wooden posts. Her throat tightened as she saw the achingly familiar tuft of spiky blond hair.

The person turned around when she gasped, blue eyes meeting lavender ones.

"...Hinata?"

Uzumaki Naruto turned to fully face her, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

Hinata couldn't stop a blush from coloring her face. "H-hello, Naruto-kun!" she stammered. Oh, why did he have to be here now? She didn't want him to catch her in this bad mood.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Hey! Long time no see!" he said, chuckling at his little joke, seeing as they had just seen each other less than 24 hours ago.

Hinata smiled faintly but couldn't return the laugh. "Are you here to train?" she asked, looking at the kunai in his hand. Naruto looked down at the weapon he was holding.

"Yeah, I literally just got here." he replied, looking back up at her. She hadn't moved from her position at the top of the hill.

"Oh, okay, well I'll let you do that then..." she said softly, turning to try and leave.

Naruto blinked and raised up a hand. "Hey, wait, are you here to train too?" She paused and looked back at him.

"Um, well yes. I can use the Academy training ground though." she said in what she hoped was a casual tone.

Naruto cocked his head. "But…why? I mean, there's a lot of room here... I'm not going to take up the whole place." he said with a light laugh. "We could... share? You could use this post, and I'll use this one!" He pointed to the relevant spots.

Hinata wavered. She had been wanting alone time, but could she pass up another chance to be with Naruto?

"Well...if it's okay..." she answered slowly. Naruto smiled wider.

"Yeah of course! Come on down." he said, motioning for her to come. She stepped delicately down the small hill towards him, and he led her to the three posts planted into the ground.

"Hah, you know, I'm kind of surprised that you'd come here to train. Don't you usually go to the lake?" he said conversationally.

Hinata nodded. "I do, but sometimes I do come here as well. You don't need to be near a body of water to do water jutsus." she replied. Naruto rubbed his chin.

"Yeah I guess you're right! That would make water bending pretty hard." he mused.

They stopped as they approached Hinata's post, and she set down her small backpack a few feet from the post.

"What are you doing to do?" Naruto asked, watching her stand back up.

"I'll just do a bit of taijutsu..." she said quietly. Naruto nodded.

"Ok, well I'll just be over here." he said, pointing a thumb behind him at the other post. Hinata nodded and turned away from him to begin focusing.

Naruto walked slowly back to his initial position in front of the post a few feet away. He knew Hinata was a pretty quiet person, but today she seemed even more taciturn than usual. That coupled with her initially not wanting to train with him made him feel uneasy. Did she not want to be around him?

He looked back over at her. She was going through a few stretches. He watched as she rotated her wrists and stretched her hamstrings, bending down and to the side to touch her left toes, and then her right ones.

She had on an oversized pink hoodie that hung all the way to her upper thigh, and black spandex leggings that hugged her legs down to where her knee high open toed boots began. He flushed as he watched her bend over and turned swiftly, letting out his breath in a huff.

He stared down the thick wooden post as he fingered the kunai in his hand. He had been wanting to try something he had seen Sarutobi Asuma do with his own kunai. By encasing his kunai with his wind element chakra, Asuma could make the weapon several times deadlier when thrown. He had shown Naruto the basics and now Naruto wanted to test it out.

He settled into a flexible stance and began to channel his wind element, pushing it out from his right fingertips and along the handle of the kunai. Wisps of wind chakra flailed away as he tried to contain it, and he gritted his teeth in concentration. When he felt like he had a decent hold, he drew his right arm back, and flung hard at the center of the post.

The kunai stuck into the wood with a deep thud. Naruto ran over to the post, and saw that while the kunai had gone a bit deeper into the wood, it was nothing compared to what Asuma did. Naruto furrowed his brow as he thought of how Asuma's kunai had blown a hole straight through a tree thicker than the wooden post in front of him. This wasn't as easy as he had thought.

He heard a sequence of similar thuds behind him and he turned to see Hinata landing a series of blows on her post with her hands and legs. She methodically aimed at various kill points and weak spots from top to bottom of her makeshift enemy. He watched her graceful movements for a moment and wanted to call out words of encouragement, but he saw she was in the zone and he didn't want to interrupt, so he turned back and pulled a second kunai from the pouch tied to his thigh to try again.

The two soon became engrossed in their separate activities.

Hinata clenched her teeth as her mind flooded with more negative thoughts as she landed each blow.

The elders, with their condescending expressions...

She delivered a high kick.

Her father...unyielding, never supportive.

Another chop of the hand.

Her inability to fight them back.

Three quick jabs.

Naruto's mood was similarly growing darker with each throw of his kunai.

Each throw he imagined the weapon hitting Sasuke square in the forehead.

 _Fucking teme…_

His attacks were starting to get stronger and there were several skinny craters in the abused post.

Grunts and pants could be heard as both young shinobi increased their efforts brought on by their pent-up emotions. You could barely call what Hinata was doing as "practicing". Rather, it looked like she was trying to kill the battered wooden post.

Naruto's post didn't look much better. Chunks of wood had begun to splinter off as Naruto, a fast learner, quickly perfected his wind jutsu.

Hinata's hands were a blur as she barraged her wooden opponent, occasionally throwing in a few Jyuuken strikes mixed in with her taijutsu.

Elders looking at her disdainfully.

Hinata launched into a complex series of attacks.

Orochimaru, a serpent-like tongue sliding from his mouth.

Naruto threw a wind chakra-propelled kunai that blasted another small chunk of wood away.

Her father, staring at her impassively.

Hinata raised a leg up high.

Orochimaru's goons, racing away with a large barrel.

Naruto held up another kunai, supercharged with wind chakra.

Herself, head hung as she walked through long hallways.

Hinata used her momentum to swing her leg around.

Sasuke, black markings inching across his skin.

Naruto threw the kunai with all his might.

Hinata's leg rammed powerfully into the weakened post. With a loud crunch her leg nearly tore off the top half of the post, which now hung limply, suspended only by a few stringy pieces of wood.

Naruto's kunai hit his post so hard that it was all but blasted to smithereens. Only a shredded stump remained when the dust cleared.

The two ninjas stood slightly in shock. Naruto tore his eyes away from his destroyed post to look tentatively at Hinata. His eyes widened as he looked at the ruined training post in front of her. _She really broke it?_

Hinata bent over and placed her hands on her knees as she panted heavily from the exertion. Naruto jogged over to her.

"Hey, Hinata! Are you alright?" he asked, looking the kunoichi over for any injuries. She seemed to straighten without difficulty and wiped her brow with her sleeve.

"Y-yes." she managed to get out between gasps. "I... I don't know what happened..."

Naruto let out a short laugh. "Yeah, me neither, I guess I got a little carried away." Hinata looked at his post and furrowed her brows at the damage.

Naruto looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Hinata blinked and looked downward, rubbing her wrists absentmindedly. "Yes, I'm alright..." she murmured.

Naruto bent a bit to look at her in the eyes and frowned as he took in her faraway look. "On the inside too?" he asked.

Hinata looked up at him and glanced away, unable to hold his gaze. "Yes... I'm fine." She began to turn away, but Naruto stepped in her way.

"You don't seem fine Hinata." he pressed, looking at her in concern. "What's wrong?"

Hinata bit her lip and clasped her hands together. "...I just... have a lot on my mind right now..."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah? Well... do you want to talk about it?"

Hinata was silent, her eyes shifting around to look at anything except Naruto's piercing gaze. Naruto frowned further when he had a thought.

"It's clan stuff, right?" He watched as Hinata's eyes flashed to his, her hands flexing reactively into fists before relaxing again. The movement was quick, but Naruto's attentive gaze caught it all. "Hinata, you can tell me, you know..." he said softly.

But Hinata shook her head quickly. "I-I'm sorry, I just, I don't feel like t-talking about it." He winced slightly at her stutter, not having heard it in a while.

He stood there while she turned her back to him again. He didn't like seeing her like this. How could he make her feel better? She didn't want to talk about it, so what else could he do? He watched as she continued to clench her fists in agitation, and an idea formed in his head.

He smiled. "Well Hinata, it seems like we are both in bad moods today. I won't bother explaining my own issues, but I do know I need a good slap in the face." he said in a matter-of-fact way. "And it looks like you are in dire need of hitting something more sturdy than that training post. So, here's what we are going to do."

Hinata had stopped fidgeting at his words and had her head slightly turned as she listened, brows furrowed in curiosity.

"Nothing complicated. I want you to hit me in the face as hard as you can."

Hinata's eyes widened and she spun back around completely. "What?!" she sputtered.

Naruto's smile widened. "You heard me! I want you to hit me." Hinata stared at him like he was crazy.

"Naruto-kun... I don't want-"

"Come on, don't you want to help me out? I've been in a funk all day and I really need to wake up."

Hinata turned around to walk away. "I can't, Naruto-kun..."

But Naruto was too quick. In a flash, he stepped around her to block her from getting her bag. "Hinata. I'm not going to let you leave until you hit me." He said it in a voice that was cheerful but filled with intent.

Hinata's pearl eyes narrowed slightly and she stepped back, looking at him warily.

After a moments deliberation, she spoke. "If... if that is what you want, then fine..." she answered slowly.

Naruto couldn't help but grin before he planted his feet in the ground and faced her, arms hanging at his sides. Hinata exhaled as she changed her posture, cocking her right arm back as she regarded him for a moment. Naruto tilted his head and tapped his left cheek lightly.

A second passed, and then Hinata swung her fist.

Smack! Hinata's mouth parted as she saw Naruto's big hand wrapped around her fist. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you wanted me to hit you?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, not like that. Harder."

Hinata gaped at him before frowning and pulling her fist back again. Once more she threw a punch at Naruto's face.

Again, he caught her fist in his hand.

"Harder." he repeated calmly. Hinata's frown deepened. She pulled her fist back and let it fly again without hesitation.

But Naruto caught it again! "Hinata... harder." Instead of letting go, he used his grip on her fist to push her back hard enough that she had to step back. Hinata's eyes widened in surprise and annoyance.

"I am doing it hard!" she cried. Naruto looked at her and shook his head. "No, I don't think so." he said patiently.

Naruto honestly didn't know how hard Hinata could punch. But he could see her calculating as she aimed each punch, and he didn't want her to think about what she was doing. He just wanted her to do.

Hinata gritted her teeth. She took a couple steps back, and then rushed forward quickly, arcing her fist with a shout. But before her fist could connect with his face, Naruto twisted out of her way and swung out his leg, knocking the backs of her knees and forcing her to fall to the ground. She didn't fall that hard, but she was stunned. She slowly looked up at Naruto, who had his arms crossed as he looked down at her. But unlike her father, he didn't have a disdainful, unimpressed expression.

"That was better... but do harder than that." Naruto said, his electric blue eyes shining as he challenged her.

"Naruto-kun..." she whispered, looking at him reproachfully. She got up slowly, staring at him as she dropped into a real attack stance.

Naruto smirked. _I think I may have gotten to her_ , he thought as he braced himself in anticipation.

Hinata lunged, raising her arm to ready her fourth attack. Naruto just barely stepped out of the way by jerking back his left shoulder. Hinata quickly followed up with a left-hand jab, which he blocked with his forearm.

Naruto soon had his hands full trying to fend off Hinata's flurry of blows. He maintained that patient smile. _Why is he doing this?_ she thought, feeling her frustration from before bubbling up once more.

When Naruto's smile widened even larger, something inside her snapped. Hinata's Byakugan suddenly came to life as Hinata zeroed in on Naruto's face.

She launched a barrage of close range strikes at his torso that took Naruto's attention away from the sweeping kick she promptly aimed at his arm. He grunted from the impact and shifted sideways. Hinata quickly brought the same foot up to strike him in the chest, forcing him backwards. Her hair flew back as she charged, using chakra to push off into the air.

All of this was executed within seconds. Naruto was still catching his breath from her kick to his chest when he heard Hinata's battle cry. He snapped his head up and saw her descending upon him - fist careening down, veins bulging around her eyes - and he only had time to shut his eyes.

Hinata's fist slammed into his jaw. The force cleanly knocked him backwards into the air. He tumbled a few times on his side before skidding to a stop on his back.

Hinata stood where she had hit him, panting heavily, her fist still pointing downward. Naruto groaned, and suddenly Hinata came back to Earth and she straightened, slapping a hand to her mouth as her Byakugan receded.

"Oh my... oh my Kami!" Hinata brought her other hand to press against her mouth. "Naruto-kun...!"

She rushed over and fell to her knees by his side. "A-are you okay?!"

Naruto laid there for a moment, shakily bringing a hand to gingerly touch his throbbing cheek. It hadn't been as hard as a Sakura punch, but by the gods it had been close enough!

Luckily the pain was already fading thanks to the Kyuubi, and he slowly sat up and chuckled, tasting blood in his mouth.

"Now that... that was a punch!" he declared. He then spat a glob of blood into the grass. Hinata gasped in horror as Naruto felt around his mouth with his tongue to check if all his teeth were there.

"N-no! I...I hurt you!" she cried, clasping her hands together in worry. Naruto chuckled even louder.

"Yeah, and I'm glad you did, Hinata. I feel a hundred times better now!" he winced slightly as he grinned. Hinata looked at him in disbelief as he jumped to his feet and held out a hand, which she took tentatively.

He pulled her up and they gazed at each other. Hinata looked at him, all anger she had held having disappeared, and a tiny smile appeared on her lips as she shook her head slowly. "Honestly, Naruto-kun..." she said softly as she turned away.

Naruto blinked as they lost eye contact. He had been quickly losing himself in her lavender eyes once more. He caught her arm to stop her from walking away.

"Wait! I was thinking..." Hinata turned to look at his hand on her arm, a blush rising to her face.

 _Damnit, how do I make her stay longer?_ Naruto racked his brain.

"I was thinking...I feel a lot better now, but it looks like you could have gone on for much longer." he said with a chuckle. "Maybe, now that you let off some steam, you'd like to have a real spar?"

Hinata raised her eyebrows at his offer. A spar with Naruto? Could she even keep up with him?

"We've never sparred before." she stated. Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! That's why I thought we should. It would be fun!"

Hinata looked at him doubtfully. The thought of sparring with Naruto made her nervous. But thinking back to his lighthearted, patient attitude from earlier, she found that she trusted he wouldn't ridicule her for any sort of reason.

"What would the rules be?" she ventured. Naruto grinned, ecstatic that she was humoring him.

"Well, how about we just do taijutsu for now. Best two out of three?" he suggested.

Hinata deliberated in her mind, nodding slowly. "Okay, that sounds fine." she replied.

"Alright!" Naruto punched the air above his head. "Let's do it!" He spun around to jog out to the larger field, turning again to backpedal as he created a decent amount of space between them. Hinata giggled softly at his enthusiasm and followed him.

The two ninjas faced each other and bowed to initiate the spar before settling into their fighting stances. Naruto blinked as he recognized Hinata's Gentle Fist style.

"Er, Hinata, will you be using Gentle Fist?" he asked nervously. Hinata shook her head.

"I will, but I won't use chakra." she confirmed, smiling at Naruto's relieved nod. "You seemed quite worried there, Naruto-kun." she added, her smile curling into the faintest of smirks.

Naruto's eyes widened at her light jab. _This girl honestly won't stop surprising me,_ he thought as a huge smirk grew on his face. "I think you are the one who should be worried, Hinata. I'm not going to go easy on you." he warned, his eyes sparkling in anticipation. Hinata nodded.

"I know you wouldn't insult me like that, Naruto-kun." Naruto smiled and nodded once before regaining his focus, bending a bit more deeply into position.

All that was heard was the rustling of the dry leaves on the trees as the fighters stood like statues, assessing each other's weak spots. Then, nearly at the same time, both pushed off into a sprint and charged each other.

Naruto swung his fist, aiming at Hinata's left shoulder. But before he could make it connect she dodged by sliding nimbly underneath his arm. She braked hard and swiveled, pushing off with the same foot to spring back at him, her own fist cocked back.

 _She's fast!_ he thought.

He spun around and blocked her fist with one forearm and her follow up kick with the other. He pushed her off and aimed his own kick at her torso, but she jumped sideways and advanced with two short steps, raising one arm high. She brought down her hand and struck him on the bridge of his shoulder, taking him by surprise.

He quickly chopped the crook of her elbow to make her arm buckle away as he back stepped, but Hinata closed the gap between them. She quickly blocked his next punch and in the blink of an eye, shoved her palm forward aiming directly for his heart.

The two ninjas froze. Naruto looked in shock at the disarmed Gentle Fist attack Hinata had managed to get past his defenses. Had she thrown enough chakra into that move, he could have very well been-

"Dead." Hinata finished his thoughts for him. She held her position as Naruto struggled to speak. She got him that quickly?

"...Yield." he breathed. Hinata pulled back her arm and they both straightened up.

"Alright, you can have that one for sure." he said, still a bit flustered. A tiny smile appeared on Hinata's face as she nodded before turning to take her starting position.

Once again they took their positions and paused. Naruto stared at the indigo haired kunoichi through narrowed eyes.

They lunged at the same time again. This time Naruto waited for Hinata to throw the first punch, which he dodged. He brought up a knee that caught Hinata's hip bone, causing her to wince and become defensive. He put some pressure on her, unleashing a series of jabs that she had to block with her arms.

Finally, Hinata was able to slap one of his arms away and give herself time to sidestep out of his reach. She released a high kick that forced him to duck, allowing her to gain the upper hand. Naruto gritted his teeth as she pushed him back with a strange mix of Gentle Fist and other taijutsu styles. It was quite unorthodox and he found himself struggling to stay a step ahead.

The world seemed to slow as he went head to head with Hyuuga Hinata. Her lavender eyes, usually so soft and inviting, glinted with silvery steel as she fiercely fought him. His eyes were becoming distracted by her midnight blue hair as it whipped around violently while they exchanged blow after blow. Somehow she looked beautiful even while she was attempting to physically hurt him.

Naruto paid for staring at Hinata too long by stumbling over a small rock on the ground. Hinata took advantage of his lapse in concentration and leaped forward. In three quick movements, Naruto once again had Hinata's open palm inches from his chest.

Pearl eyes flashed up at his. "Dead, Naruto-kun." Hinata said softly, looking at him with slight suspicion. Was he going easy on her? She had seen him pause earlier before he stumbled. But he had said he wouldn't!

Naruto couldn't believe it. She had won already!

"Yield..." he said in astonishment. Hinata stepped back and allowed a coy smile to appear on her face.

"I win." she said, clasping her hands behind her back. Naruto blinked and waved a hand back and forth.

"Hold up, we need to do that again. Best three out of five!" he said, his competitive streak coming out in full force. Hinata blinked at him and crossed her arms as she considered.

"Okay," she said, still smiling. "Do you want to use chakra?"

Naruto scowled and shook his head. "No! Let's keep doing taijutsu. I want a rematch!"

Hinata giggled softly and nodded once. "Okay, sounds good."

The two went back to their starting positions. Naruto dropped quickly into his stance. He was embarrassed that Hinata had shown him up. He had to show her how good he really was!

Hinata kicked off first this time and charged him. Naruto narrowed his eyes and maintained his position, letting her come to him.

At the last moment Hinata feinted to the left and tried to surprise him with a right-handed strike, but he was ready this time. He parried her fist away and retaliated with his own hand chop that caught her in the arm. She danced back and tried to hit him low, using her petite size to her advantage. He took a few hits but was able to maintain his balance and fend her off with a few well-placed hits himself.

He pushed forward, trying to overwhelm her with his heavier weight. He aimed at her legs to force her to lose her balance and stumble, waiting for her to expose a weak spot. She was quite good at keeping those protected.

There! His eyes zeroed in on one of her legs which briefly jutted out awkwardly. He aimed a well-placed kick at the crook of her knee, making her fall backwards.

Hinata clenched her eyes shut as she fell on her back with a slight "oomph!". She tensed quickly as she opened them, ready to bounce back up, but reared back when she spotted the sharp point of a kunai inches from her chest.

Naruto was standing above her, an extremely smug look on his face. "Looks like I won this one, Hinata." he said gleefully.

Hinata exhaled with a little huff. "You did... I yield." she responded, leaning back on her elbows. Naruto lowered the kunai away and held out a hand to pull Hinata back up. She dusted the grass off her back as she retook her position.

"Don't let it get to your head too much, Naruto-kun." Hinata said with the faintest trace of amusement as Naruto cockily strutted back to start position. Naruto grinned as he took his stance.

"You sound a little mad there, Hinata." he teased, twirling a kunai in his fingers. Hinata tossed her hair back out of her face.

"Not at all." she said, looking at him levelly, her lavender eyes flashing. She ground her back foot a little more into the dirt, ready to push off.

A pause, and then they started again. They met in the center and exchanged a fierce set of attacks. Hinata came at him with an increased intensity in her moves, striving to obtain her third win out of five before he tied with her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she locked her eyes with the object of her affections.

Her heart was pounding hard, and it wasn't just from the physical exertion.

She suddenly lashed out her leg in a perfectly executed roundhouse kick. It was well timed as Naruto had just lowered his left arm, leaving his shoulder open for the taking. A smirk began to grow on her face as she whirled around. If she caught him off guard with this, one quick Gentle Fist technique should allow her to-

Smack! Hinata's mouth parted into a surprised "O" when Naruto caught her leg by the ankle mere seconds before it could hit him. She was as such stuck with her torso parallel to the ground and her leg pointing towards the treetops while her ankle was firmly in his grasp.

It was now Naruto's turn to smirk as he raised up a finger with his free hand and wagged it back and forth.

"Mm mm mm," he hummed tauntingly, shaking his head back and forth in time with his finger. Hinata gritted her teeth as he used his grip on her leg to spin her horizontally in the air, trying to get her to crash to the ground.

Hinata wrenched herself upright as she fell and landed catlike in a plank position. She used all her strength to push herself out of the way before Naruto could pin her down and rolled to a crouch a few feet away.

Trying to maintain her focus, she pushed off like a sprinter and charged him once more. They met in a flurry of hand-to-hand attacks, with her trying to weasel herself closer so that she could catch him with another deadly Gentle Fist finishing move. But Naruto was getting used to her style, and he wasn't about to let her get him the same way again.

He finally saw her lean sideways to try and chop at his mid torso, and he put his plan into action. Hinata had done this particular move a few times before, and it left open a weak spot that he could take advantage of.

Quick like a viper, he thrust his arm out and snatched up her wrist in his big hand. Immediately he yanked her roughly, making her spin around so her back was facing him. With his other hand, he reached for her free arm and pulled it behind her as well. Her wrists were so small that he was able to clench them together tightly with one hand, trapping her with her hands behind her back.

Hinata yelped in surprise as Naruto wrenched her backwards, causing her to fall back against his hard chest. She stood for a second, stunned, before trying to struggle out of his grasp. She inhaled sharply when she felt the cold flat edge of a kunai pressed gently against her throat.

"Ah ah ah...you don't want to do that." he murmured, causing Hinata's mind to go blank as she registered how close he really was. She licked her lips as her breathing became shallow. She turned her head ever so slightly in the direction of his voice and swallowed at the sight of his unyielding chest pressed up against her shoulders.

She faced forward again, feeling the hard steel slide against her neck. Her pearl eyes flitted around as she struggled to think of a way out while she felt him breathing against her neck.

Naruto swallowed as he drank in her scent, an addictive cocktail of lavender and grass and sweat, while he waited for her to yield to him. He struggled to suppress how excited he felt to be holding her so close to him, and analyzed every inch of her – her baby hairs around her ears, the beginnings of her jawline, the slope of her neck, alabaster skin. He saw her eyelashes flicking back and forth as she stubbornly tried to resist him.

His hand tightened ever so slightly around Hinata's wrists, enough to make her wince. She felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled.

"...There's no way out, Hinata." Hinata clenched her jaw as she turned her head back to scowl at him, and blinked as her eyes met his intense gaze. She blushed and quickly looked away.

"...Yield." she said finally with a sigh. Immediately he relinquished his vice grip on her wrists, and she rubbed them slowly as she stepped away from him, too flustered to look at him in the face yet. She didn't stop walking until she was back in starting position.

Naruto watched her stalk away with an amused expression on his face, twirling his kunai in his hand. She didn't like to give up, he had noticed, which was quite funny to him. Mainly because it reminded him of…well, himself.

"Sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you there." he called out.

Hinata quickly composed herself and turned. "Nope, I'm fine." she replied in a clipped tone. "That was a smart move."

Naruto smirked and bowed exaggeratedly. "Why thank you, I thought so too myself. Ten out of ten, you think?" He grinned as Hinata smiled and rolled her eyes.

"I would say a seven." Naruto's grin faded.

"Now you're just being mean!" he pouted. Hinata's eyes sparkled, and she tossed her hair before bending back into a fighting stance. He huffed as he mimicked her actions.

"Alright, are you ready for Naruto to get three out of five?" he challenged.

Hinata looked as if she was going to say something but stopped and instead held up a hand to pause. Naruto watched as she raised a hand to the top of her hoodie zipper. His eyes widened as she pulled the metal zipper down while she walked idly in a small semicircle, eventually turning away from him. She finished unzipping and began to slip the hoodie off her shoulders.

Naruto slipped slowly down into a squat, his elbows resting on his knees while his kunai dangled unnoticed from one hand. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as one bare arm was released from the pink clothing, followed by the other. She finally pulled it away from her and tossed it a few feet away onto the ground before she turned to face him once more.

Naruto's eyes narrowed while they simultaneously swept up and down Hinata's figure. The removal of the bulky hoodie revealed her petite torso. She had on a plain black tank top layered on top of a black short sleeved mesh shirt that covered the part of her chest that would have been exposed by the tank top. Her hips were also now visible and they did not disappoint as the tight tank top and spandex leggings showed off all their curviness that just screamed _woman_. She pulled off a hair band on her wrist and began to tie her hair back.

He swallowed, with some difficulty as his mouth had suddenly gone dry. _Is she doing this on purpose?_ he thought in disbelief. She couldn't possibly know how such seemingly innocent actions were beginning to send him in a tailspin of emotions.

Hinata finished wrestling her hair into a high pony tail and nodded to indicate she was ready again. She settled back into her stance, and from his spot Naruto couldn't help but snag a look at the side profile of her perky rear-end. He groaned inwardly. This next round was not going to go well for him.

He rose to his feet. "Finished stalling?" he said pompously, squashing down his jittery feelings with every ounce of mental strength he had. Hinata just smiled and dug her back foot a little more into the earth.

The two shinobi stood there momentarily as they strategized quickly. Both were now more familiar with each other's styles and were using that knowledge to their respective advantages.

She rushed forward and seemed to plan to attack his right side. He put up his hands to block, but at the last moment she feinted and whacked him in the left shoulder with her forearm, causing him to flinch back in surprise. A brief memory flashed through his mind as he recalled how she easily did a similar move to Konohamaru in the Academy training field, and he huffed in annoyance realizing that he just fell for the same simple trick.

He redoubled his efforts and tried to similarly catch her off guard by switching up his style. He had learned a few things during his sessions with Lee and now seemed like a good time to use them.

They continued to clash, each doggedly determined to win this... whatever it was. It was no longer feeling like a spar. Both were beginning to release chakra little by little to enhance their moves as they tried to one up each other.

Hinata swerved and ducked under Naruto's attacks. She bit her lip as she made eye contact with him. His electric blue eyes were filled with that determination that she loved so much. She therefore felt bad for sweeping her leg fluidly across the ground to catch him by the ankles and make him fall.

With a grunt Naruto fell on his side and quickly got back up to lash out a leg, quick like lightening due to the extra chakra he poured into it, and forced Hinata back before she could get in close again. She barely got out of the way in time.

Naruto's adrenaline peaked when he saw a rare opening due to her awkward leap away from his leg and went for it, grabbing at Hinata's wrist to prepare to pull her back into the same restraining hold he had done before. He snatched up her other wrist in quick succession.

He chuckled deep in his chest as he slipped his free hand into his leg pouch for his kunai. "Sorry Hinata, but it looks like I-"

Suddenly, Hinata yanked herself away from him, and her wrists slipped out of his fingers like a bar of soap. He stood there with his hand holding his kunai still half raised in the air, staring at the hand that had been holding her wrists together. It was dripping with moisture.

He looked up with her with a raised eyebrow. "How'd you get out so easily? I had a good grip on you." he demanded. Hinata gave one of her tiny, vague smiles.

"Oh, a new trick I've been practicing." she replied, holding up her wrists, which glistened in the late afternoon light. "I used some of the water in my body to make my skin slippery." she explained simply.

Naruto looked at her incredulously. "Seriously? But... doesn't that hurt you somehow?"

Hinata shrugged. "Well it definitely could if I really overdid it, but I only just used a tiny bit. If I did it even ten more times I would mostly likely feel a little dehydrated but that's it."

They both paused, panting, dust on their clothes, sweat over their brows.

"So you used chakra." he accused but with a small smirk.

"Yes. You did as well." Hinata nodded knowingly, mirroring his expression.

Naruto rubbed a finger under his nose as his smirk turned into a grin.

"You got me there. Maybe we should turn this up a notch? I think we've played around enough." he said, eyes glittering. Hinata crossed her arms.

"What are the rules now?"

"There are none."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "Even Gentle Fist?" she asked with a smile. Naruto's eye twitched, but he stood resolutely.

"Sure, it won't matter anyways. I'm going to win!" he declared. Hinata chuckled softly.

"We'll see about that..." she responded. She began to settle into her Gentle Fist stance, but paused as Naruto began to remove his own black and orange jacket. A blush crept up her neck as he revealed his chiseled upper torso that was only covered by a mesh tank top. Hinata cursed internally as her stomach roiled with butterfly activity. She was just able to get over the fact that their bodies were touching from their sparring activity, but to see his muscular arms and partially exposed chest like that? It was almost the beach all over again.

She bit the side of her tongue hard to push away her nerves as much as possible and prayed her blush looked like a result of the physical exertion.

She took a deep breath as Naruto tossed his jacket to the ground and settled back into his stance, deep blue eyes piercing her own pearl ones.

With all the rules gone their minds both raced with the new possibilities.

Naruto smirked as he brought his fingers together to create a very familiar seal. With a series of small poofs, three shadow clones popped into existence on either side of him, each sporting identical smirks. Hinata nodded to herself, expecting Naruto to use his signature move and knowing how cunningly he can use them in combat. Predictable and unpredictable.

Naruto watched Hinata look over his clones unflinchingly and bring her own hands together to form seals.

"Byakugan!" he heard her exclaim, and watched as her kekkei genkai came to life. His chest heaved as he inhaled roughly in anticipation of the fight. The novelty of fighting her was thrilling. Although he had fought Hyuuga Neji once, he had quickly realized Hyuuga Hinata was an entirely different opponent altogether. She was fast. She was innovative in her methodology, and thus she was very likely just as unpredictable as he was.

It didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes in general.

The six clones suddenly began to charge at Hinata in unison, leaving their creator behind. Kunai and shiruken glinted from their hands.

The clones released their weapons, and Hinata flew into action, zig zagging to prevent herself from being hit. Two clones closed in on her and she zeroed in on their chakra signatures with her Byakugan. A few well-placed jabs and they poofed out of sight.

Her ears pricked at a familiar whooshing sound and she cartwheeled out of the way of a slew of shiruken. She righted herself and barely had time to block the two clones that came at her from either side. They scuffled for a few seconds, Hinata on the defensive but managing to block their heavier hits. She finally downed one with a chakra filled thrust to the chest and shoved a kunai deep into the other's ribs. She winced as she felt the kunai embed itself into the clone's body before it disappeared into thin air. Even though she knew it wasn't the real Naruto, it went against her _soul_ to hurt anything that looked like him.

She quickly dressed back to pinpoint the location of Naruto himself. She was sure he was trying to distract her with the clones while he made his real move. She glimpsed him still standing not far away before the last two clones advanced on her. They worked to overwhelm her with a barrage of punches and kicks, which she parried and blocked as fast as she could. She heard a series of poofs, and in her peripheral Byakugan vision she saw a team of clones generate around her in a semicircle. She gritted her teeth. He was trying to tire her out.

Naruto watched from the center of his line of clones as Hinata pushed back to retreat away from the two clones attacking her, who quickly gave chase. He was itching to dismiss the clones and go for her himself, but he just wanted to watch her a bit more.

The gang of clones began to pair up and form Rasengans.

Hinata felt she had put enough distance between them and slipped her hand quickly into her kunai pouch and pulled out a small scroll.

Naruto raised an eyebrow when he saw the scroll in her hand. Hinata yanked it open, and he saw a puff of smoke appear. He grinned when she ground to a halt and spun around. In her hands were two blue fans.

Hinata and began to charge towards the clones closing in on her, one fan in each hand. She pushed off high into the air and wrapped both arms like she was trying to hug herself. At the peak of her jump, she flung her arms outward.

The fans shot out in front of her, spinning like two large shirukens. The clones closest to her began to skid to a halt, but the fans were flying faster than any shiruken Naruto had ever seen. In the blink of an eye, the fans sliced cleanly into the two clones, and they vanished instantly, Rasengans disappearing into thin air. The fans curved outwards and continued their warpath down the lines of clones, obliterating them in quick succession.

Naruto flinched as their final memories assaulted his mind all at once. _Kami…even the fans are weapons_.

By the time Hinata landed on her feet, the clones had been finished off. She raised her arms up to deftly catch the fans, which returned to her like boomerangs.

She stood there as she regarded Naruto's position about twenty feet away.

"Ready to fight me yourself?" her voice pierced through the air clear as day.

"You better believe it!"

She squeaked in alarm as she heard his voice from behind. She whipped her head in shock to see Naruto racing towards her, a Rasengan in his hand.

She didn't have time to figure out how he got behind her, but she berated herself inwardly for dropping her Byakugan earlier. She instinctively flung a fan at Naruto to force him to jump out of the way while she jumped backwards to put space between them.

Naruto reacted quickly and kept his pace as he advanced towards her.

Hinata raised her hand to catch the returning fan and proceeded to make sweeping motions with both fans.

Suddenly, the ground at Naruto's feet turned promptly into slippery mud. He slipped and faltered, the Rasengan disappearing into nothingness.

Naruto held himself up shakily with one hand and two feet planted in the mud. He looked down to squint at the mud.

"What the..."

He slowly lifted his head to look back at Hinata, who was standing looking at him in amusement. He shook his head at her slowly in amazement before he yanked himself back up.

"Okay then..." he muttered. He channeled wind chakra down his arm, blasting the mud off his hand. "You wanna fight with elements? I can do that too."

Hinata raised one arm, and hundreds upon thousands of water droplets, glittering like diamonds, began to lift from the ground. They accumulated into one large glob above the fan she had lifted into the air.

Naruto channeled wind chakra down his other arm, and his fists glowed with electric blue wind chakra.

Hinata eyed his hands contemplatively, and then she rushed forward, whipping her raised arm downwards to launch the glob of water at him. In the air it stretched into a long whip-like shape. Naruto leapt out of the way, and the water-whip slapped the ground with a deafening _crack_ that echoed throughout the training field.

Naruto gritted his teeth. He definitely didn't want to get caught by _that_. Hinata yanked her arm back, and the water whip receded back to her side, ready to be used again.

This time when she brought it down, he let loose a wind chakra-filled punch. A powerful wind current shot visibly from his knuckles straight through the water, and Hinata's jutsu burst into millions of droplets. He threw two more punches, and the wind blasts caught Hinata in the knee and shoulder, making her fall backwards.

She bounced back up, gasping as Naruto fell upon her with glowing fists.

* * *

Somewhere not too far away, three young to-be-Genin stood by the entrance to the training grounds. They listened to the occasional booms emitting from the grounds out of their view.

"What do you think that could be?"

"It's coming from the training grounds, Moegi. Obviously, someone is training out there." responded Konohamaru, crossing his arms as he peered out past the grounds entrance.

"Who makes sounds like _that_ when they are training?" Udon exclaimed with a loud sniffle.

A grin appeared on Konohamaru's face. "Oh, I can think of at least one person…"

* * *

They clashed fiercely. Close combat between a wind release and a water release ninja was certainly something to behold. Hinata had pulled in her water whip close to her body and was manipulating it to attack Naruto at nearly lightning speed. Naruto was pumping wind chakra from his fists to deflect and get a hit in edgewise. While wind could cut through water and blast it away, water was more versatile and easier to control than wind.

Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon perched at the top of the hill a little way from the two ninjas battling in the field below, watching with wide eyes.

"So cool…" breathed Moegi as Hinata made Naruto slip in mud once more to smack him with water.

Konohamaru nodded silently, watching his rival critically as he quickly recovered and sent a large wind current with a sweep of his arm, pushing Hinata and her water jutsu away.

Hinata used the wind current to back flip a few yards away before performing a complex series of movements with her fans. Naruto paused as he heard a rumbling noise emanate from the grounds.

His eyes widened when he saw an enormous wave ascend in-between him and Hinata. Without pause it began to curl rapidly downwards. He gritted his teeth as he scrambled backwards, mind-boggled by how easily Hinata had conjured such a strong jutsu and thought back to Shikamaru's story about their mission.

She was _dangerous_.

Why did that make her seem even more attractive?

But spending time with Hinata was beginning to pay off. He smirked as he stared down the wave, raising one arm and bringing it powerfully down with a shout. Just like when they were racing at the beach, the wave parted like an invisible knife had cut through it. Naruto smirked as the two halves passed by on either side without touching him. The water crashed to the ground so powerfully it sounded like festival fireworks.

His smile faded at the sight of Hinata sprinting towards him, fans gone, Byakugan activated.

"Shit!" he cursed, and could only bring up an arm in defense. Hinata caught his raised elbow with one hand. In a flash, she struck his tenketsu points along his left arm up to his shoulder. He grunted as he felt his chakra flow get cut off.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw her palm flying towards his chest. He lashed out his good arm and smacked her arm down, holding it tight in his hand. In such close quarters, they resorted back to taijutsu, Naruto still partially crippled in one arm. They got so close that their limbs became entangled as they each tried to get the upper hand. Blue eyes met pale lavender ones as they wrestled.

"So…feeling better?" Naruto grunted out, trying in vain to pull her into another restraining hold.

It was quick, but he saw a tiny smirk grace Hinata's full lips, and she nodded very slightly. Naruto grinned hugely, and Hinata blushed at how close he was, noticing how sharp his canines were.

He growled in frustration as she slipped out of his fingers once again. He tried to grab her, but she backflipped away from him, settling a few yards away.

Naruto huffed and summoned a clone, managing to squeeze out enough chakra from his bad arm. He was going to get her this time. He had always been competitive, but something inside of him was _screaming_ at him to win.

He held out his right hand and let the clone begin to form a Rasengan. They began to jog forward together, quickly picking up speed.

Hinata was back in Gentle Fist mode, her Byakugan eyes narrowed at Naruto and his clone. The clone finally popped out of sight when the Rasengan was fully formed, and Naruto let his arm fall behind him as he sprinted towards her.

She waited. There was nowhere to run, so she had to face him. She began to race towards him.

Naruto's eyes widened as she came to meet him. She was running headlong into his attack! He faltered as he tried to put the brakes on. _What is she doing-_

Hinata leaped into the air and went straight over his head. A memory flashed in his mind of a blindfolded Hinata jumping similarly over three young Academy students, and he cursed belatedly. He whipped around as she touched down behind him and saw her leg sweeping over the ground. In the nick of time he jumped, avoiding her attempt to make him fall.

Time seemed to slow down as he came back down. Hinata shot up, an arm already cocked back. Naruto was also bringing his Rasengan down, eyes locked on hers.

It all happened in a blink of an eye.

Naruto used his momentum to clap his left hand down onto Hinata's shoulder, holding her tightly in place as he brought down his Rasengan.

Hinata whipped out her hand to clutch his arm to prevent herself from falling backwards and threw an open palm at his chest.

They came to a halt. Panting, Naruto stared at his free hand, which was holding a low grade Rasengan inches from Hinata's chest. A smirk grew on his face as his eyes traveled slowly up to her flushed face. He got her.

His smile faltered at the strange smile that spread onto Hinata's face. Her eyes were looking at something below his chin. He looked down and gasped to see her open palm nearly touching his chest. _No way_ …he thought with a sinking feeling. _How did she manage…_

His eyes snapped back to look hard at her pearl ones that were twinkling back at him. He blinked as his gaze wandered around her face, from her eyes, to her delicate nose, to her full lips. Her graceful neck, leading down to her exposed collarbone. He held his breath as he glanced at her chest, so close to his hand with the Rasengan, that was still heaving from the exertion. Some flyaways had gotten loose from her ponytail. But all the sweat and dust just helped her seem even more radiant.

Hinata stared back at the blond ninja she was holding on stubbornly to, wondering if he was going to say something. She felt her face get warm as she felt his bare rock hard bicep she was gripping, and her eyes dropped to look at his hand, only inches from her chest, his famous Rasengan the only thing between them.

His eyes caught a single drop of sweat rolling down her neck and swallowed. It slipped down and came to a rest on a pulse point, fluttering visibly from her increased heart rate. His mind went blank as an alarmingly strong urge to lick the sweat from _that spot_ consumed him.

"Wowww, that was _amazing_!"

They both jolted from their respective reveries when they heard an obnoxious shout and whipped their heads at the same time to identify the source. There they saw Konohamaru standing by the wooden posts waving at them, while Moegi and Udon were clapping their enthusiasm.

"Hinata-sensei, you were so good!" squealed Moegi. Hinata and Naruto both blinked at the youths and slowly looked back at each other, finally realizing they were still holding each other close.

Hinata giggled softly and lowered her hand. "Looks like it's a tie…" Naruto sighed and allowed his Rasengan to disappear, hanging his head as he gently pulled Hinata so she could stand straight again. He chuckled ruefully.

"Man! I was so close! Believe it!" he protested, finally letting go of her. She promptly sank to the ground with a big sigh, sitting cross legged as she caught her breath. Naruto mimicked her and sat on the cool grass in front of her. He smiled at her relaxed countenance, happy that his plan to make her feel better seemed to have worked.

"Best five of out seven?" he half-jokingly proposed. Hinata giggled a bit louder and shook her head without hesitation. "Oh no, I can't. I don't have your stamina, Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned and sighed exaggeratedly, and they both chuckled softly. He rubbed his arm that was still sore from his blocked tenketsu points.

"All jokes aside Hinata, you are really freaking good, you know?" he murmured, looking at her with a lopsided smile. "Like I knew you were good before of course, but now that I've really fought you? Without a doubt!"

Hinata blushed and said a quiet thank you. They were silent for a second.

"I mean really – like, you used what, four different kinds of jutsus in one fight? Taijutsu, your kekkei genkai, water release, and your fans as weapons. And you transition between all of them so seamlessly. That makes you like, a quadruple threat!" Naruto blurted, unable to stop himself. Hinata giggled and squirmed under his attention.

"Maybe so, but you are quite the opponent, Naruto-kun. You are so fast. You can you S-class jutsus like the kage bunshin and the Rasengan. You are definitely physically stronger than me. And you could block nearly all of my water attacks with your wind, I couldn't believe you cut through my wave so easily. I haven't fought anyone with a wind affinity before. I will have to come up with some specialized approaches for next time…" she trailed off as she realized the implications of her words. The tips of her ears turned red. "Well, you know, if there ever is a next time…"

Naruto, who had been soaking in her compliments like a sponge, looked at her incredulously. " _If_ there is a next time? There will _definitely_ be a next time! I still need to redeem myself! Don't think this is the end, Hinata." he declared, grinning at the smile that appeared on her face.

"Alright then, it is not the end." Hinata repeated back, her eyes sparkling. They made him dizzy, her eyes.

Before he could say anything else, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon chose that time to bound over and interrupt.

"Yo Naruto! Are you alright? Looks like Sensei did a number on you!" Konohamaru chortled.

A vein bulged on Naruto's forehead. _These damn brats! Just when we started talking..._

"I think you should be worried if you will be alright, if you keep it up." he growled. He looked forlornly as Udon and Moegi crowded around Hinata, but she looked past them as well and smiled that rare playful smile of hers, and he grinned back cheekily.

They eventually got up to walk back to get their things, the three Academy students trailing after them. Naruto tossed his jacket over a shoulder as he watched Hinata pick up her bag, her hoodie tied around her waist.

"Any luck with the dust at the science lab?" he asked conversationally. Hinata shook her head as she stood back up.

"No, they've also been having a difficult time identifying the evidence. I stayed there for a while yesterday answering all of their questions, but it doesn't seem to be enough to help them figure it out. They have been calling scientists in neighboring towns and universities to try and get help."

Naruto hummed a surprised response. "Wow, I didn't think it would be that hard. What could those goons have had on them?" He winced as he reached for his training bag with his sore arm and switched the bag to his other hand.

Hinata walked over to him. "Me neither. Hopefully we hear back soon from Nobu. They said they would send us an update after they analyzed the retrieved scroll for more clues."

"Yeah…" Naruto trailed off as Hinata approached him and froze when she gently took his sore arm into her hands.

"Sorry about this…" she murmured. Naruto was about to protest and say it was nothing, but his breath caught in his throat as she engaged her Byakugan and began to gently press open the closed tenketsu points on his arm. Shivers ran down his spine, and immediately the tightness in his muscles began to fade away. Naruto watched her in silent amazement as she continued down to his forearm, her soft fingers creating goosebumps along his skin. Never had someone touched him with such care. Not even Sakura or the nurses in the hospital. A content sigh escaped him, and Hinata's eyes glanced up at his briefly, and he felt himself blush.

"Wow…thank you." Naruto rasped as she deactivated her Byakugan and let go of his arm, and he cleared his throat hastily while flexing the arm experimentally. "It feels so much better!"

Hinata blushed lightly and just nodded, feeling woozy herself from touching him so deliberately. "A hot bath helps as well…" she added quietly, looking up into his eyes with a shy smile.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I'll definitely do that." Hinata bowed her head, and then looked over at her students, who were inspecting the broken wood posts and looking at them suspiciously.

Hinata chuckled at them and sighed. "I wonder if we have to pay for those."

Naruto snorted. "Humph! I'd like to see them try and make me pay!" Hinata exhaled a short laugh and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye with a smile, which he returned immediately. She began to walk over to the kids, and Naruto followed, his mood nosediving quickly as he saw her prepare to leave.

"Hey Sensei! Do you want to go practice by the lake?" asked Konohamaru, perched atop the one remaining post still intact. Hinata chuckled.

"Sorry Konohamaru-kun. Your _rival_ here tired me out a bit too much. We can go another time." she said, smiling playfully at Naruto who was grinning back at her now. Konohamaru humphed and glared at Naruto for ruining his chance of spending time with his beautiful sensei. Naruto just smirked and elbowed him just rough enough to make Konohamaru lose his balance.

They all made it to the training grounds gate together. Hinata had to walk a different direction than Naruto.

She faced him, her three students standing around her like personal bodyguards. She smiled and shrugged at him as if to apologize for their silliness. They exchanged goodbyes, both wishing they could talk even longer, but not wanting to show it.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he turned away, Hinata and the kids walking the opposite direction. Before she got too far, Hinata turned back.

"Naruto-kun…" He halted and spun back around. There Hinata stood, the early fall breeze blowing her hair back, her eyes a rare shade of violet, her full lips pulled up into the sweetest smile.

"Thank you."

Naruto blinked at the beauty in front of him and then smiled warmly.

"Anytime" he replied.

 _Really,_ any _time…_

* * *

It had been a few minutes since they parted when he heard it. Deep, snarling laughter.

Naruto gritted his teeth.

 _WHAT?_

WHY DIDN'T YOU CLAIM HER?

…. _What?_

THE FIGHT. YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN, SO THAT YOU COULD RIGHTFULLY CLAIM HER.

 _Are you demented? I'm not trying to_ claim _her! Humans are not fucking animals. It was just a spar!_

THEN WHY WAS YOUR DESIRE TO WIN SO HIGH?

Naruto blinked. It's true, he couldn't really figure out why he had wanted to win that spar so badly. The urge to win was stronger than whatever he felt when he sparred with anyone else.

YOU WANTED TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR STRENGTH TO HER. TO ESTABLISH YOUR RIGHTFUL PLACE AS THE ALPHA. THEN SHE WOULD SUBMIT TO YOUR WILL AND WANT YOU TO MATE WITH HER.

Naruto clenched his fist and was about to respond fiercely when he stopped. In the Kyuubi's strange way, it was saying that he was trying to impress Hinata, to win her over by showing how strong he was. Had that really been it?

…Yes.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair. Here he was back to the beginning, when he was wondering that morning about why he was even bothering to analyze the education budgets.

Naruto barked an ironic laugh. He was doing _fucking math_ for her.

Did he like her?

He bit his lip to try and stop himself from smiling, but failed.

Maybe.


	11. Chapter 11

(A/N) Thank you all again for the great reviews, especially Rosedove, nightwind83, sultryvoice, gio08, hinatamyqueen, and cespericueta35 for the repeat reviews.

Some responses to questions/comments I've received:

Sasuke will be in this story, but not until closer to the end

Yes, Konohamaru & Co. are a necessary component of the story. I enjoy exploring the build up of romantic tension and thus it was necessary to use Konohamaru to break it up at the end of Chapter 10 Note that I don't believe Konohamaru actually thinks he has a chance with Hinata – it is just a child's crush. I like featuring his and Naruto's competitive/brotherly relationship to insert humor.

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN – THE HUNT**

Naruto bared his sharp canines as he yawned hugely while he stumbled around his room, trying to find clothes to throw on. Faint blue light was shining through his windows and birds could be heard beginning their morning chorus. Why was he up at the butt crack of dawn? Because someone was banging on his door, that's why.

"I'm coming, I'm COMING, Kami..." Naruto growled as he heard the loud thumps at his door for the fourth time. He shivered as he passed by his window and felt a draft of cold autumn air. He hoped whoever it was was prepared for the fight of their lives for making him get out of his warm bed at this hour.

He stalked to his door and wrenched it open. His angry complaints died in his throat when he saw the ANBU shinobi in front of him. He/she had on a rabbit mask.

"Er... what do you want?" he queried rudely, frowning at the black ops nin.

The ANBU handed him a scroll. "Uzumaki Naruto. You have been summoned to the Hokage's office. The Hokage wishes to assign you a new mission, and you are to report to her immediately." it said in a deep male voice, thus Naruto felt he could assume it was a man.

Naruto tiredly took the scroll from the ANBU and opened it. _One to two-week assignment... C-rank, with potential for upgrade to B-rank... must leave immediately._

"Humph, fine. Do I really have to go now? Tell her I'll come after I eat-"

"Immediately, Uzumaki." the ANBU replied in a monotonous tone. Without another word, it body-flickered away.

Naruto glared at the spot where he had stood and shut his door not too lightly. He grumbled about annoying old grannies under his breath as he made his way to freshen up in the bathroom.

Steam rose to the ceiling and clouded the bathroom mirror as he stepped into the shower. He sighed as the hot water hit his scalp and ran down his neck and back, which felt so good as his apartment was starting to get cold in the mornings. Damn rundown building and its terrible insulation.

He reached lazily for his soap and washcloth and began to lather up, doing his chest and armpits. He paused as he lifted his arm and noted it didn't hurt to lift it so high anymore.

"A hot bath helps as well..."

It was impossible to count the number of times he had thought about Hinata since their spar a couple of days back. The mere thought of her brought both chills and hot flashes at the same time. He found himself smiling for no apparent reason. He checked himself out more in the mirror before he left the house, just to make sure he looked good. It was so ridiculous that he even felt disappointed that the soreness from her Gentle Fist attack was gone, as the ache had reminded him of their amazing match, and afterwards when she had touched him so carefully.

He began to rinse off. It just felt so crazy, to be suddenly into this girl who prior to this summer he barely thought about. That couldn't be how it worked, right? You can't just suddenly be into someone like that. What he had with Sakura was real. They had gone through hell and back together in their years on Team 7. He had liked her since the Academy. Sakura knew him the best out of all the kunoichi in Konoha.

But these emotions he was having for Hinata had kicked out any thoughts related to Sakura. Now when he ate with Sakura it was only by coincidence, not because he had sought her out. He barely gave Sakura a second thought in his mind, whereas he literally couldn't go longer than ten minutes without thinking about Hinata.

He felt guilty. Guilty that he wasn't being loyal to Sakura in his mind, guilty that his body was betraying him. It was true, Sakura wasn't his girlfriend, he wasn't tied to her in any way. But he had made up his mind long ago that he would win Sakura over someday, and he felt like he was giving up on himself as well as on her.

But it felt so damn good to think about Hinata, he couldn't help it! And in the shower he wondered - maybe he should just give in to these feelings. Maybe he just had to let them run their course, like a flu virus. He was just infatuated, after all. If it wasn't true love then it wouldn't last.

He tilted his head up to let water run down his face and closed his eyes, letting forbidden images flood his mind. His favorite scene so far had become the visual of her holding onto him at the end of the spar: lavender eyes looking deep into his, lips parted, chest rising and falling rapidly so close to his hand armed with his Rasengan.

And the _sweat_ running down her _neck_. Kami, if things had been different... Naruto bit his bottom lip. He would have licked that trail of sweat from her jaw down to that beautiful pulse point on her neck and sucked all the saltiness away from her perfect skin. They would have fallen to the ground, him on top, and he would continue past her neck to her collarbone and pull aside her clothing to nip at her shoulder.

He felt another part of him down below begin to awaken, a feeling that had become all too familiar lately.

It wouldn't take much for him to rip the front of her tank and mesh shirt so that he could continue even further, arriving at her supple breasts. Like in his dream he would kiss and lick and drag his teeth all over them. His arousal grew into a throbbing ache, and he slowly slipped a hand down to grip his rock-hard member.

He began to pump as he thought of her silky soft fingertips trailing down his arms as he attacked her magnificent breasts. He would be looking to do one thing, the thing that he wished had happened in his dream. He would pull down her garments and finally get to see those nipples that he had been craving to taste.

His mouth practically watered thinking about them and he pumped faster, groaning at the thought of one of her nipples popping out from her shirt. In his mind it was the most perfect shade of pink, and it would be hard, begging to be sucked. He would lap at it, tickle and tease it with the tip of his tongue. He would close his lips around it and suck hard as if he were trying to draw out milk. He would gently nip at it with his teeth. He'd swirl his tongue around it, starting from her areola and working his way to the center, and suck on it again for good measure.

His breathing hitched as his cock throbbed in his hand and a wave of pleasure ran through him as he began to feel a delicious tension building. His legs began to tremble as her sweet moans rang in his ears, and he braced himself against the tiled wall with his free hand. The thought that he should stop flew through his mind briefly but it was too late, and he let out a guttural moan as he came, bucking his hips. Cum ran over his hand and quickly got washed away by the flowing water.

He shakily straightened, reeling from his latest orgasm. It wasn't the first time he had fantasized about her since the spar. Each time he touched himself he couldn't stop until he finished. To his mind it felt wrong (imagine if Hinata knew what he thought about?) but to his body it felt oh so right. But maybe if he just gave in to it for now eventually he would get over it, although currently he felt like that would be next to impossible.

He sighed and washed himself off once more before shutting off the shower. He would have to pack some things into a scroll or two if he was to leave for two weeks. A sense of dread overtook him. Missions were usually a source of excitement to him. He was a shinobi, and going on missions is what shinobi do! He loved what he was and what he did. But all he could think about now was that it may be two weeks until he could see Hinata again.

* * *

Naruto ran down the hallway leading to Tsunade's office. Genma and Raidou were the Jonin guarding the Office of the Hokage that day.

"Hey, Naruto!" Genma smiled and nodded his head in greeting as Naruto approached. Naruto grinned back.

"Yo Genma! Raidou! Is she mad at me?"

Raidou chuckled. "Only a little bit. You're lucky she had her tea already."

Naruto sighed and nodded knowingly, fist bumping them both before turning the doorknob and entering. The first thing he saw was the spiky white hair of Kakashi, who turned to regard him with his usual aloof look.

"Yo, Kakashi-sensei!" he exclaimed. He stepped into the room and turned his head to see Shikamaru and Sai.

"About time, Sleeping Beauty." Shikamaru drawled. Naruto smirked and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Just trying to look good for you, my dear." Shikamaru scoffed and shoved him away.

"Sleeping Beauty? His nickname is Dickless, Shikamaru, remember?" said Sai, smiling vaguely at Naruto. Shikamaru snorted as a vein bulged on Naruto's forehead.

"Hey Sai, I didn't know you liked knuckle sandwiches so early in the morning." he threatened, raising a fist to get his point across.

"Naruto, I have half a mind to throw you out the window for your lateness. When I say immediately I mean immediately." He cringed at the tone of Tsunade's voice. She was sitting at her desk, sipping tea from a small ceramic cup. He knew for a fact that the tea was spiked with sake, having learned the hard way when he had once tried some to refresh himself after spending hours in her office working on reports.

"Whoops sorry Baa-cha-I mean Hokage-sama!" he responded quickly. He walked up to her desk with a hand thrown behind his head and a goofball smile. "What did I miss?"

The Fifth Hokage eyed him exasperatedly before taking another long sip of tea and dragged an open scroll on her desk towards herself to read over the mission report.

"We need you four to head out and investigate several missing person cases that have been happening in numerous towns and villages in the Northeastern region of Fire Country. Usually we leave non-Konoha missing person cases to local authorities to handle, but an unusual number of individuals have gone missing in a relatively short span of time. It could be likely that these cases are connected in some way. We have received numerous requests for assistance from a few of the towns with the biggest numbers of victims and so I've decided to send you all out to determine if there is a need for a more in depth investigation. If you run into any criminals connected with the case, you should aim to detain them and ascertain whether the victims are still alive, and where they are being hidden."

Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Which towns should we be visiting?"

"You should try Yasuda, Bincho and Katsuya. These are the towns with the most missing cases."

"How many people have gone missing?" asked Sai.

Tsunade looked down at her report. "Five in Yasuda, four in Bincho, and eight in Katsuya. But in total, there have been around thirty-two missing individuals reported in the last three weeks."

The room was quiet as they absorbed that information. Naruto frowned deeply. Thirty-two people gone in only three weeks?

"And no witnesses?" Kakashi asked, his one visible eye looking hard at Tsunade. She shook her head.

"None, or no one has come forward. Perhaps by the time you reach the towns the authorities will have found a few. It is a bit chaotic out there as you can probably imagine. People are becoming scared." The shinobi in the room nodded solemnly.

Kakashi crossed his arms. "All of those towns are near Nobu. I'm assuming this is why you called us specifically?"

Tsunade gave him a lopsided smile. "Nothing gets past you, eh Kakashi? I did in fact select you four for a reason. You all are more familiar with the area after the stolen scroll mission in Nobu, and I am hoping that helps make your work easier. Also..." Tsunade frowned as she poured more tea for herself. "I am slightly concerned as to whether there is any connection between the Nobu mission and this missing person mission. I don't have any evidence yet but... strange things have been going on in that area for a while, and I want to ensure we have accounted for all of the possibilities."

Kakashi nodded. "A wise decision. I have been wondering the same thing." Tsunade looked up at Kakashi and smiled. As Hokage she had come to rely on Kakashi many a time for his counsel and took his suggestions very seriously.

Naruto blinked and stepped closer. "Shouldn't Guy's team also come? They went with us to Nobu."

Tsunade shook her head. "Guy is out on another mission and isn't around to lead Team 8. I also don't want to send out too many people this time as we are a bit strained on resources. Since your mission could potentially turn hairy I don't want to put more than one team out there."

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. "Team 8 would be able to help if we have to fight! Hinata is the best water release ninja in the Leaf! She can create enormous waves and-"

"No!" Tsunade barked. "I agree with you Naruto but for now we will keep the group lean. That is my decision." Naruto scowled and turned his head to glare out the window.

Kakashi turned to the Hokage. "Alright, so we will be off then. I will send word if any interesting developments take place." Tsunade nodded curtly, and the team saluted her before they departed from the office.

* * *

On the second floor of the Academy, one indigo-haired kunoichi was clearing her desk for the day and packing away her things into her small backpack. It had been a good day. Her students had scored high marks on their last exam, so she had brought cinnamon rolls for snack time as a reward. She smiled as she thought about Konohamaru and Udon fighting over the last cinnamon roll, only to deflate as Moegi had stealthily crept behind them and taken the last one for herself. Of course, when they complained to Hinata about it she just pointed out that it was their fault for not staying aware of their surroundings, a cardinal rule in her classroom, and that stopped their whining quickly.

She giggled quietly to herself and slung her bag over her shoulder as she prepared to make her way out. Just as she was turning off the lights, she heard footsteps approaching from down the hallway. She turned to see that it was Sakura walking towards her, her pink hair brushing lightly against her shoulders as she moved. Sakura smiled and waved in greeting.

"Hey Hinata! I knew I'd find you here!"

Hinata smiled back. "Hi Sakura, it's nice to see you." she responded cheerfully. Sakura was easily her best female friend. They had gotten closer over the last few years, especially as they began to pursue their respective interests in medicine and teaching. Sakura's afternoon shift break would often coincide with the end of the school day, and they had bonded over many shared afternoon lunches after they had discovered they both loved the same café.

"Same! Are you busy? I wanted to ask you something." Hinata shook her head. "No, I just finished up in the classroom, would you like to walk and talk?"

Sakura smiled and nodded and they headed down the hallway to the Academy exit together.

After chatting briefly to catch up on each other's lives, Sakura got back to her question.

"So Hinata, I'm sure you remember that Naruto's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks." Sakura started, smiling at the tinge of pink that appeared on Hinata's face at the mention of his name.

"Y-yes, I remember." Did she _remember_? It was the first thing she marked on her calendar every time she bought a new planner.

"Great! Well, since this is the first birthday he will have in Konoha since he left three years ago, and since it will be his twentieth birthday, I wanted to plan a surprise party for him." Sakura continued. Hinata's face broke into a smile.

"Oh, what a good idea! He would love that!" she agreed excitedly. Sakura grinned.

"Oh yeah, that knucklehead sure will love it. I have a few ideas and I wanted to know if you would be able to help me." Sakura continued.

"Of course! What do you have in mind?" Hinata asked.

Sakura clasped her hands behind her back. "Well, this is Naruto we are talking about, Konoha's number one prankster. He may be an idiot, but he can smell a prank from miles away. We really need to make him believe that nothing is amiss, but I also want to have a teeny bit of fun with him too. I know that he will try to look for us on his birthday, but we need him to be distracted while we set up the event space soo…" Sakura glanced at Hinata with a mischievous smirk.

"Would you be able to distract him for just a few hours that day until we are ready to surprise him?"

Hinata blinked and her blush intensified. "M-me? But…why me?" Sakura giggled.

"Because Ino and I will have to do things to set up. I may also ask Lee and Choji to help as well. I could ask one of the other guys but…" she smirked evilly. "Which guy wouldn't want to spend their birthday with the prettiest girl in Konoha?" Hinata was so red it was a wonder smoke wasn't coming out of her ears.

"Besides…" Sakura continued. "I know you would _love_ to have that job, am I right?" Sakura's grin was triumphant as she watched Hinata struggle to respond.

"Oh...I…well…I'd be happy to help…if that's what you want-"

She jumped when Sakura clapped her hands together.

"Perfect! Well I'm glad that's decided. Luckily Naruto is out for the next couple of weeks anyways so I can get a lot of the work done without him butting his nosy face into everything."

Hinata's ears perked up at that last statement. "Oh, he is out on a mission?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I overheard Tsunade-sama ordering her ANBU to go pick up Naruto and Sai so she could assign them a new mission. They most likely left this morning."

Hinata nodded silently to herself, feeling disappointment at the thought that she wouldn't be running into Naruto for a little while. She was getting used to seeing him so much these days. She was over the moon with how much progress she had made in her burgeoning friendship with him. She had replayed their spar countless times in her mind, and each time just the memories themselves made her heart pound. It was becoming a struggle to remind herself not to get overly excited about the increased interaction with her and Naruto. Eating dinner, going to the beach with friends, sparring – these are all things Naruto would do with any of his friends. She was not special in any sort of way. She should just be grateful that Naruto was beginning to consider her as a friend too.

Sakura said something else, but she had been too deep in her own thoughts to hear her.

"I'm sorry Sakura, what did you say?"

Sakura looked at her with a smile. "I asked if you already know what you'll be giving him as a present."

Hinata's eyes widened. Of course she would want to give him something! But, they only recently became friends. Would it be strange for her to give him a present?

"No, I haven't thought about it yet… do you think… I should give him something?" she asked timidly. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah? Naruto would love to get something from you. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Honestly, if you gave him a box of instant ramen he would probably worship the ground you walked on." she said with a laugh. Hinata giggled at how true that statement was and nodded slowly.

"Okay then. I guess I have time to think of something." she said softly, her mind already whirring. She was so thankful that Sakura had given her a two-week heads up.

"Alright! Thanks so much Hinata! I have to run now, but I'll find you later this week once I figure out more details for the party. We can talk about it over some dango!"

Hinata smiled and said goodbye to the Hokage's apprentice. As she continued on her way her stomach tingled with nerves. How would she distract Naruto long enough for the party to be set up? What on Earth could she give him? The only time she had ever given him something was during the Chuunin exams when she had shyly given him her homemade medical ointment.

She wrinkled her nose. She couldn't give him _ointment_ for his _twentieth birthday_!

Hinata looked up at the overcast sky and took a deep breath to try and calm her fluttering heart.

* * *

A week into the mission, Naruto and his team were wrapping up their time in Yasuda. They had flown to Katsuya first, as it was obvious that they should target the place with the largest number of disappearances. But once they arrived they learned finding the missing persons or even finding the perpetrators would not be as straightforward of a task as they had thought. Kakashi summoned Pakkun's team every day to sniff the clothes of the victims and track their scents in the last places the victims had been seen. To the group's frustration each search ended the same way their search for the missing scroll had - the victims' scent trails just suddenly stopped at random points.

They eventually decided to move to Yasuda, hoping to get lucky, but so far it had just been more of the same. There wasn't even a pattern in the kinds of victims that were taken. There were the young and the old, the rich and the poor, men and women. They disappeared at various times in the day and night, in various places inside and outside the town. Every single one of their scent trails ended in dead ends.

They partnered with local authorities to try and hunt down eye witnesses, but amazingly they couldn't find one in neither Katsuya nor Yasuda. All the relatives and friends of the victims had the same story: their loved ones were supposed to be going about their days as usual, but one day they just never came home from work, or never showed up in class.

While Naruto was the one infamous for his impatience, by the end of the week the entire team was close to pulling their hair out. For the first time, Naruto found out what a pug looked like when it was irritated.

That morning, after a rough night of patrol, Shikamaru voiced his opinion while they recovered over coffee and food in the inn the local Yasuda authorities had offered as their base.

"I think we have enough information to report to the Hokage with. There is reason enough to believe the vast majority of these cases are related somehow. How is it possible that every single one has led to a dead end without a trace for Pakkun's dogs to pick up? I don't think it is likely that a bunch of separate kidnappers or murderers could all have used the same method to take people. Not everyone considers the possibility of being hunted down by ninja. I say we go home to report and then the Hokage can determine whether or not we should continue to be involved. For now this is a wild goose chase."

Naruto bristled. "No! How can we just leave without catching even one bad guy? If we were able to find just one of the missing people they could tell us who did it!"

Shikamaru shrugged. "We don't need to necessarily find out who is doing it. We have enough to say the mission is complete."

Kakashi responded before Naruto could retort. "You make sense, Shikamaru. I say it is safe to make the assumption that many if not all of these cases are related. We could go home now and feel comfortable knowing that we have completed our task. However…" He held up a hand to quell Naruto's inevitable angry protests. "I also agree with Naruto that we should cover as many bases as we can while we can. It is clear the ones who took these people are very good at covering their tracks somehow, and have knowledge of some types of concealment jutsus that could throw off even my dogs. But there may be a chance that just one of them didn't properly clean up the crime scene, and that could be the missing puzzle piece. So I say we head for Bincho to try a bit more before heading back."

Naruto beamed at Kakashi for seeing things his way and felt a renewed sense of purpose as he jumped from his seat at their dining table and punched a fist into the air.

"Alright! Let's go to Bincho!"

Shikamaru sighed and poured more coffee. "I'll go as long as Naruto doesn't yell like that again until at least noon."

Bincho was the smallest town out of the three they planned to visit. The moment they stepped into the main square they could practically feel the tense atmosphere weighing them down. It seemed almost deserted as they walked slowly to the local police department, but Naruto could feel the chakras of people emanating from inside the surrounding buildings, and he glimpsed suspicious eyes peeking out at them from shuttered windows. It appeared the fear of being the next person to go missing pervaded the minds of Bincho's residents.

It definitely wasn't their favorite destination, but everyone was hoping that if they were to find something fishy, it would almost definitely be here.

Two days passed and it was still the same story. Dead ends and no witnesses. On the morning of the third day, they set out to find the trail of the fourth and last Bincho victim.

Pakkun's team tiredly sniffed the shirt of the young twenty-something year old man and began to spread out to find a solid trail. They had to split up, so Naruto and Kakashi went with one group while Shikamaru and Sai went with the other.

Naruto and Kakashi followed closely behind Pakkun and a couple of his canine friends. They were taken down an empty road and around the corner behind some type of warehouse. The two Leaf ninjas followed the dogs, which were beginning to slow down, a familiar sign that they were nearing the end of the trail. The dogs crowded around a large dumpster and began to sniff along the edges, growling and yapping at each other. Kakashi quickly lifted the top of the dumpster to peer inside, but it was empty.

He let the metal top slam shut and crossed his arms. "Well, seems like another dead-end." Naruto groaned and kicked a rock on the ground in frustration. It went flying past the dumpster and tumbled down to the end of the warehouse wall. Naruto had watched the rock and made to turn away when suddenly he stopped as he glimpsed a flash of movement around the corner of the warehouse. He opened his mouth, but Kakashi already had a kunai in his hand and gave a signal to stay silent. They climbed up to the roof of the warehouse and crept over to the other side to see who was around the corner. Down below, an old man shrouded in rags huddled in between some shrubs.

Kakashi and Naruto channeled chakra to their feet and stealthily walked down the wall. As they approached they heard the man mumbling unintelligibly under his breath.

After communicating with some quick hand signals, Naruto crept closer to the man and rapidly seized him by the shoulders to hold him in place. The man let out a surprised yelp and began to struggle, but froze when Kakashi dropped into a squat in front of him.

"Get away from me, you vile things! Spawn of the Devil! Evil spirits!" the man howled in crazed anger before redoubling his efforts to escape. Naruto raised his eyebrows as he kept his grip on the old man, who was surprisingly strong despite the fact he felt very frail underneath all his layers.

"Calm down, sir. We would just like to ask a few questions." said Kakashi in his usual aloof tone. He had decided ten seconds ago that the man was a civilian, and very likely a homeless, mostly insane civilian at that, and had already stowed away his kunai.

The man continued to jerk away from Naruto. "No! I will not come with you! I will not end up like the others! You cannot take me to the Underworld!"

Naruto and Kakashi glanced at each other. The others?

"Sir, we are not evil spirits. We are ninja looking for the people who have been going missing these last few weeks. Have you ever seen any of these people?" Kakashi held up sketches of the victims' faces in front of the man, who was beginning to tire out. The man glared at him for a moment, but the expression faded to one of fear as his greyish eyes settled on one photo.

He shakily raised a finger and pointed it at one of the pictures. "They took _him_ to _hell_." he spat. The photo in question was of the man they were currently searching for. Naruto's heartbeat quickened.

Kakashi inched closer to the man, his visible eye looking at him hard.

" _Who took him?"_ demanded Kakashi. The man's crazed eyes flicked to look at him once more, his tongue darting out to lick his lips nervously.

" _Demons_ , I said!" he hissed. Kakashi cocked his head slowly.

"Describe what they looked like. Now."

The man's eyes flashed in fear and shifted around as if to try and see if anyone was coming. Naruto tightened his grip and shook him once, and the man growled.

"Big, nasty things. Tall as hell. Faces white like death. Quieter than mice."

"Where did you see them with the man in the picture?" pressed Kakashi.

The man let go of a wheezy laugh. "Right where you just were. They had him possessed. He had been out in the cold in the dead of night so long he was blue in the face, snot running down his nose. Only Kami knows how long he had been standing there. Then they came to take him. Didn't put up a fight or nothing."

"Where did they go?" Naruto blurted, about to burst with the need to finally solve this mystery.

"To hell." The man said simply. Naruto shook him again roughly.

"Around _there_!" the man growled harshly, pointing around the corner with a bonelike finger. "They pulled aside the dumpster and created a hole to the Underworld."

Kakashi promptly stood back up and nodded at Naruto. "Let's go Naruto. Bring him with you." Naruto nodded and prodded at the man, who had gone back to mumbling under his breath, to make him rise.

The three rounded the corner to approach the dumpster, where Pakkun and his team were idly scratching themselves.

Kakashi indicated for Naruto to come help him and they began to push the dumpster to the side, the homeless man being watched by the dogs. After a bit of effort they finally pushed the dumpster far enough to fully reveal the hidden patch of wall behind. It was lighter than the rest of the wall around it, but save for a few pieces of trash that had gotten stuck over time behind the dumpster, there was no gaping hole leading to hell.

Naruto groaned and struck the dumpster with the side of his fist in frustration. He turned on his heel ready to march over to the man and shake him until he told the truth when Kakashi stopped him.

"Hold on Naruto, come take a look at this."

Naruto turned back with an eyebrow raised. Kakashi was squatting in front of the wall and rapping it in random spots with his knuckles. He continued for a moment until he stopped and began to run through a series of hand seals. Naruto frowned and walked closer.

Kakashi finally stopped and passed a hand over the wall in front of him.

Suddenly, strange writing on the wall sprang into existence in fiery red lettering. Naruto stared at the writing in disbelief and tried to read it, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Kakashi hummed to himself and ran through his hand seals again. The writing just appeared and disappeared too quickly for Naruto to fully decipher.

"It's…some kind of seal, right?" Naruto asked, squinting at the blank wall as if the answer would reveal itself.

Kakashi hummed again. "Yup, a portal seal, in fact. A very strong one at that. Someone came by here and created a temporary door to another place, and then closed it with this seal. The old man isn't lying." Kakashi stayed still for a moment.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto prodded, itching to know more. Kakashi sighed.

"This is a really rare jutsu. The characters on the wall are in an ancient tongue. I've heard of this being done but I've never seen it before. This is…most peculiar."

After a moment's deliberation, he started executing hand seals once more. Once finished, he slapped his hand against the wall.

"Open!" he commanded. The bricks suddenly began to pop loose from the wall, crumbling to the ground in a dusty heap. A gaping hole big enough for a grown man to crawl through was revealed.

Immediately, Pakkun and his dogs rushed forward, yelping and growling as they began to furiously sniff the entrance to the hole. Kakashi stood and backed up. The man stared at the hole with fearful eyes and collapsed to the ground, pointing shakily at the hole and shouting curses. Naruto crept slowly behind, a hand on his kunai just in case, as they waited for the dust to clear.

One of the dogs plunged into the warehouse, and Pakkun muttered to Kakashi and Naruto to wait for his canine comrade's signal. Shortly thereafter, the dog returned, and communicated its findings to Pakkun in a series of growls.

Pakkun turned to Kakashi. "No one is inside, but the portal site smells strongly of the victim's scent. He was here. And he wasn't alone."

Pakkun turned to point at something at the bottom of the hole with his nose. Kakashi and Naruto walked forward and stooped down to see.

Naruto frowned and cocked his head at what he was looking at. Kakashi reached down and picked some of it up, rubbing it between his fingers.

"Is it the same?" Kakashi asked in a low voice. Pakkun nodded.

"Yes. We are absolutely sure. The scent is unmistakable."

"The same as wha-" Naruto started, but stopped as he looked down at the grey substance scattered around the bottom of the portal and finally remembered where he had seen this before.

Pearl eyes illuminated by candlelight.

" _It doesn't look natural, but it doesn't look man-made either."_

"Whoa…does this mean…"

Kakashi promptly rose. "We can go back now. We found what we needed. Good work, Pakkun." Pakkun snorted and blinked slowly. In a poof, the dogs were gone. Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out a small flare. He released it above their heads, the red sparks crackling out a message to the rest of their team.

As the sparks faded away, Naruto frowned as he processed the discovery. He stared deep into the dark opening in the warehouse, wondering how finding a new piece in the puzzle only served to make this whole thing even more mysterious.

* * *

Hinata walked briskly down the forest trail to the lake and zipped up her hoodie a bit more as a chilly breeze picked up. Fallen tree branches and rocks littered the path in front of her, but she stepped over them with the ease that came from walking this road innumerable times before. Her eyes were trained on the ground, but her mind was far away from the present moment.

 _Something that isn't fancy…something that he would actually use…_

Hinata groaned out loud in frustration. There was only one week left to go before Naruto's birthday, and she _still_ couldn't think of what to give him! She had spent every afternoon after classes were done scouting potential gifts in the shops, but nothing seemed to be right. She initially thought a nice hat or sweater for the upcoming winter months, but everything seemed expensive and she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable about the amount of money she had spent. She could make it more personal and attempt to knit him something, but it may seem weird to him that she had put so much effort into it (and what if he didn't like it?). Plus, she didn't think she could knit something in one week.

Then she had thought perhaps it could be something for his apartment. She had looked at home decorations and kitchen supplies, but upon thinking back to their breakfast she remembered Naruto kept his place relatively simple, albeit a bit messy, and didn't really care much for cooking. Plus, who wanted pots and pans on their birthday?

She had a minor breakthrough when she had smacked her head realizing it should be something ninja-related. Naruto took his ninja training and his goal of becoming Hokage very seriously, so what could be better than something to help him get one step closer?

But still nothing seemed right. New kunai and shuriken was one easy answer. But that just seemed so…boring! And she was almost sure that some others at the party will have the same idea for their own birthday gifts.

New shinobi clothing? Ninjas were very particular when it came to what they chose to wear during missions, and she didn't want to purchase something he wouldn't feel comfortable in.

She wanted it to be something unique, something thoughtful, something he would use, something only she would give him.

The forest was thinning as she approached the lake and Hinata flitted her eyes up to view the deep blue water not too far ahead. She sighed heavily as she accepted that another day was to pass by before she could secure Naruto's gift. She would think hard about it tomorrow. She recalled what Sakura said about getting him a box of ramen, and she shook her head rapidly. She'd be damned if she actually resorted to giving him _that_ as a gift!

The wind rustled the leaves in the trees and created a fizzling noise that reverberated around the lake when she arrived at the sandy shore. Hinata set down her bag and went through the usual routine of unsealing the fans. She stepped out onto the water and strode towards the center of the lake, her footsteps sending out tiny ripples. A quick set of hand seals forced a small island of earth to rise to her chosen spot in the lake, and she stepped onto her self-made platform.

She began to run through sets of water bending exercises, sets that she had created for herself. They helped get her mind off the frustrating topic of Naruto's present. She breathed deeply as she manipulated one of her water whips with her fans, and the splashing sounds of her efforts echoed throughout the lake.

She eventually moved on to experimenting with the weapon aspect of her fans. After creating a few pillars of earth in random spots in front of her, she practiced throwing the fans so that they curved around the pillars. She chose random targets that required her to throw the fans in this way to hit them. She had been pleased with how she had taken out Naruto's clones with this trick, and decided to perfect her level of control and the amount of distance she could attain.

Usually the fans always returned as long as something didn't prevent them from returning – thus was the magic of the seals embedded within the fans. However, they seemed to be experiencing some difficulty due to the high winds coursing over the surface of the lake.

Hinata tried to train despite the wind, thinking it would be good practice to train in difficult weather conditions. But the wind was picking up and it was getting harder and harder to control the direction of the fans.

She decided to practice a few more throws before calling it quits. On her first throw, the fan was so off course on its return that she had to leap into the air to catch it before it went flying over her head.

On the second, the wind gusted so hard that the fan angled sharply to the side and drove a deep groove into one of the earth pillars. Hinata caught it and raised an eyebrow as she squinted at the very noticeable wound in the pillar and examined her fan. Although the blades rimming the fan were sharp enough to slice through flesh, they weren't made to cut through solid earth.

Hinata frowned and decided to test something. She waited for the wind to pick up again, and when it did, she threw the fan hard against the direction the wind was blowing. For a couple of seconds, the fan stayed on course. Suddenly, the wind intensified, and the fan quickly curved backwards and shot straight at one of the earth pillars. Hinata snapped her head to keep her eyes on the fan, which was traveling faster than Hinata had ever seen it go before.

The fan made a _clink_ sound as it swiftly embedded itself in the pillar, nearly shaving off a piece of it. Hinata leaped over and climbed up the pillar using chakra in her hands and feet to retrieve the fan, and had to yank hard a few times for it to come out. Luckily the fan wasn't damaged.

Hinata dropped down to the lake's surface and looked at her fans for a moment, before looking up at the treetops by the shore, which were swaying to and fro in the high winds.

 _The wind made the fans even stronger…_ she noted to herself. An image of Naruto's shredded training post from the other day popped into her mind, and her thoughts drifted back to their spar. Naruto's Rasengan was easily the strongest weapon he had. Yet the sensei in her recognized that it still had some disadvantages. In particular, Naruto could currently only use it as a close combat weapon.

 _It would be better if he could throw it,_ she mused. She looked down to study the fans again.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, it came to her.

Hinata's head snapped up and her mouth gaped open as an idea rapidly began to form in her mind. She slowly began to walk forward, her pace quickly turning into a sprint as she raced back to shore. Sliding to a halt by her bag, she unzipped it roughly to pull out her notebook and a pencil, and promptly plopped onto the sand. She flipped to a blank page and began to write, her breathing becoming shallow as her mind concentrated on transferring her thoughts to paper as fast as they were stacking up in her mind.

As she wrote and erased and wrote some more, a smile grew gradually on her face, and her lavender eyes twinkled with excitement.

* * *

"Alright! We are finally back!" Naruto yelled above the rushing wind. Kakashi's team could finally see the sprawling urban center of Konoha from their spots high in the air on Sai's ink birds. All in all, their mission was technically a success. Their task had been to investigate, not to solve, and thus the one key piece of evidence they had found in Bincho saved them from coming back empty-handed. However, all had been frustrated (with the exception of Sai – did he ever feel strongly about anything?) as they had felt helpless as grieving parents and spouses and friends of the missing had begged for them to help find their loved ones. Naruto hated having to let down so many people, but the only way to help them would be for Tsunade to send them back with a direct order to track down the missing persons.

The concept that there could be a direct link to the missing persons mission and the missing scroll mission was huge, and they had spent most of their flight home chatting about potential explanations. The need to figure out where the grey dust was coming from was urgent now, and Kakashi was itching to get home as quickly as possible to push the science lab to come up with an answer.

For now, everyone was looking forward to a hot shower and food and bed, and the rest of the team chuckled as Naruto whooped for joy while they worked to land by the main gates.

They didn't know that Naruto wasn't just looking forward to a good night's rest and food.

On the way to the Hokage's office, Naruto's eyes zoomed around looking for a glimpse of indigo hair, his ears pricked to pick up soft giggles. His heart had been pounding ever since he could see the red and orange roofs of his hometown from the sky at the thought that _she_ was nearby, _she_ could be in that shop, or around that corner. He saw the Academy a few blocks down and wanted to run by it, but they had to keep walking past it. In any case, the school day should well be over by now. The sun had already begun its descent, showing how much the days have shortened since autumn began.

In the Hokage's office, Kakashi reviewed their mission with Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama, we must determine the source of the powder substance from Nobu immediately. There is reason to believe that the same criminals who stole the scroll from Nobu have been involved in at least one of the missing persons cases." Kakashi continued to recap their time spent in Bincho, to which Tsunade listened closely, her brows furrowed, her cup of tea momentarily forgotten.

"So there was no additional evidence inside the warehouse itself?" asked Tsunade as she peered down at Kakashi's report.

"No. The hole did not originally lead into the interior of the warehouse. They used some kind of portal jutsu. Portal jutsus can be used to travel instantly across great distances. They require an immense amount of chakra, however, which is why they aren't a common mode of transportation. And this one was definitely strong. There's no way of telling where it could have led to. When I tried to open it with an unsealing jutsu, whatever pathway it had self-destructed. I recall that such portals have special hand-seal 'passwords' of sorts. It will never work unless we can find out what it was."

Tsunade sighed in annoyance and rested her head in one hand. "This is valuable information, but it is worrying me. We still have no way of knowing where the missing were taken, or how to retrieve them, or who is even behind all this!"

Kakashi nodded. "That is why we need to push to source this grey substance they keep leaving behind. It is the only clue we have." Tsunade nodded and rolled up the report decisively.

"Shizune! Set up a meeting with me and the head scientist for tomorrow morning. Also, begin drafting some letters that I can use to send to other labs." she responded. Shizune bowed and scurried off to execute her responsibilities.

"That is all for now. Thank you all." The team bowed and began to exit the office.

"Oh! Uh, actually, one more thing!" Tsunade added suddenly. Naruto huffed in annoyance as he began to turn back.

"Not you Naruto, I just need these guys." said Tsunade flippantly. Naruto raised his eyebrows as

Shikamaru glanced at him and shrugged before heading back in. Naruto was about to pester for a reason but for once shut his mouth, rationalizing that this way he was one step closer to food and bed.

Multicolored leaves crunched under Naruto's feet as he happily made his way home, his stomach full of ramen. While he had been eating he had glanced at the calendar on the wall above Teuchi's stove and realized with a jolt that tomorrow was his birthday. He had been so bogged down with the mission that he had lost track of the days. It had been a while since he had celebrated his birthday with his friends and he was glad he had made it home just in time to be able to take the day off.

Maybe he could sleep in all morning! Then brunch at Ichiraku, of course. Then maybe he could find Lee and do some sparring. And then he could catch Sakura when her shift ended and they could relax and catch up. And then later in the evening him and all his friends could go out to eat, maybe at Narita again. Sakura, Shikamaru, Sai, Choji, Lee, Ino...and Hinata.

His stomach tightened and his mouth twitched into a nervous half-smile. How ridiculous. It wasn't long ago when he could casually invite Hinata out for dinner or to the beach. But now the thought of inviting her to his birthday made his palms sweat. They were actually sweating!

 _Stop being an idiot. She's your friend. Of course she would want to come. The only reason she couldn't maybe is because of teaching. Or those stupid clan meetings._

Feeling slightly better from the internal pep talk, he made his way home, allowing excitement to build as he thought of sharing his birthday with other people, like he had always dreamed of once long ago.

* * *

After Naruto left the Hokage's office, Kakashi, Sai, and Shikamaru stood waiting for Tsunade to speak. Tsunade waited until she felt Naruto's chakra signature was at a safe enough distance before she spoke.

"Alright, so as some of you may know, the knucklehead's birthday is tomorrow…"


	12. Chapter 12

(A/N): I have to say, this next chapter is my favorite so far. Let me know if you agree

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER TWELVE – THE GIFT**

The next day, at eight in the morning, Sakura's alarm went off.

She grumbled as she groggily slapped her hand around her night table before finally shutting it off, her eyes fluttering open to peer at her window, which was only just beginning to brighten as the sun only recently began its daily ascent.

A tired smile stretched across her face as she remembered the itinerary for the day.

 _It's time for Operation Knucklehead_ , she thought with a chuckle.

Huge snores could be heard throughout Naruto's tiny apartment as the birthday boy himself lay sprawled out on his bed in a dreamless sleep. It was a beautiful sleep: he was in the most comfortable position, the temperature in the room was perfect, and there was no immediate reason to get up any time soon…

…That is, until a loud tap was heard at his window.

 _Rap rap rap!_

With a sleepy grunt Naruto jolted up, squinting in confusion, barely remembering where he was.

 _RAP RAP RAP!_ He whipped his head to his window and his eyes opened more fully at the dark silhouette just outside his window.

 _What the blazing fuck?_

"Uzumaki Naruto! You have an urgent request from the Hokage. Please open the window." A deep voice emanated from the silhouette. In one fluid movement Naruto's sheets were flung furiously across the room as Naruto crossed his bedroom in milliseconds.

He wrenched open his window to see yet another ANBU with a dog mask facing him. "What the fuck are you going on about? Fuck off!" he roared. The ANBU simply lifted a large box and shoved it through the window, prompting Naruto to jump back in surprise. There was a note taped to the top of the box.

"The Hokage requests that you process the enclosed reports by noon today. Please see the instructions included with the box."

Naruto stared down in disbelief at the box and snatched up the note.

 _Please organize and log the enclosed reports by 12PM today. Code Red urgency._

He couldn't believe it! Code Red-level directives were only reserved for the Hokage's most critical orders. Refusing to follow such orders could lead to a ninja being stripped of his or her hitai-ate and being reduced to a normal civilian.

Naruto stood gaping at the note until his anger resurfaced at full-force.

"She can't do this! There is no fucking way this is that import-!" His words caught in his throat as he looked back up only to see an empty window.

Colorful curses and violent stomping could be heard all throughout the apartment building that morning.

Naruto sounded a lot like the homeless man from Bincho as he muttered oaths under his breath while he haphazardly made his way through the last of the reports. It had taken him all morning to get through them, mainly because he was distracted thinking of exactly how he was going to voice his fury at Tsunade when this was over. While he never was one to make his birthday into a big deal, he was more than miffed at the fact that Tsunade, who knew damn well today was his birthday, chose today of all days to give him the most annoying assignment ever. Had she perhaps forgotten?

 _Happy birthday to me._ He heaved a big sigh as he dropped the last report into the finished pile and leaned back in his chair. Rubbing his temples, he glanced at the clock: 11:45.

 _Okay, so sleeping in was ruined, but at least I can still go get ramen._

He threw on some jeans and a white t-shirt and added his black and orange jacket after considering the weather. On his way out he carelessly dropped the box of reports outside his door for the ANBU to pick up before flipping the bird in the general direction of the Hokage's office.

 _Twenty years old…_ Naruto thought bemusedly as he hopped leisurely to Ichiraku's. _Where did the time go?_ It was strange to realize he truly wasn't a kid anymore (physically, at least). People in their twenties had real responsibilities. They usually became Jonins and led their own missions. They bought homes. They got married. They had kids…

A vision of him coming home to a warm, well-lit house that was filled with delicious smells of dinner flashed into his mind. He would leave his shoes and coat by the door, walk into the kitchen, and see his wife standing there, stirring piping hot food in a pot on the stove. He would creep up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist from behind as he'd whisper that he was home in her ears. She would giggle softly and welcome him home, and he would nuzzle her neck and run his fingers through her long, silky, indigo hair…

He slipped on a tree branch and would have toppled to the ground had he not steadied himself in the nick of time. He flushed red as he realized where his daydreams had been leading to and exhaled harshly before continuing on his way, focusing stubbornly on his feet.

He finally landed across the street from Ichiraku's and nearly skipped over in anticipation when suddenly he screeched to a halt.

Something was wrong. Usually he'd be able to hear Teuchi clanging around in the kitchen, and from this distance he should have been able to smell the beautiful scent of fresh ramen, but the tiny ramen stand was ominously quiet and devoid of any mouth-watering smells.

He hastily parted the privacy cloths, frowning in confusion until his eyes settled on a piece of paper taped to the raised serving bar. In an instant, his heart dropped to the floor. His blood ran to subzero temperatures. His jaw hung open. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as they read that one terrifying word over and over.

Closed.

 _Closed._

 _CLOSED?!_

His scream of anguish could be heard across Konoha.

Somewhere in the village, Sakura looked up from what she was doing and grinned evilly.

Naruto slumped to the curb in a daze, holding his head in his hands. He knew Ichiraku's hours like the back of his hand. Today was Thursday. On Thursdays Ichiraku was open from eight in the morning to eight in the evening. It wasn't a holiday. Teuchi wasn't on vacation. So they should be open.

They KNEW it was his birthday today.

Getting shit from Tsunade was one thing. But Teuchi and Ayame were _family_. They had never done such a thing on his birthday in the past.

Could they have forgotten too? It had been three years after all. He wouldn't really blame them for forgetting. But seriously, out of _all_ days to randomly close, they had to choose today?

Something _had_ to be wrong. Maybe Teuchi or Ayame was sick! He scrambled to his feet and took off down the street towards the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Naruto ran straight up to the reception desk, to the chagrin of the line of visitors he blatantly cut in front of.

"Hey lady! Is Ichiraku Teuchi or Ichiraku Ayame being treated here today? You have to tell me!" shouted Naruto, ignoring the annoyed complaints of the visitors behind him. The receptionist looked at him boredly and glanced down at the patient log on her desk, half-heartedly flipping a few pages.

"No, sir. No one with either name has been admitted today." she drawled.

"No way, you barely looked! Check again!" Naruto demanded.

Sakura was walking down the hallway towards the hospital exit when she heard the slight commotion ahead of her. Frowning, she stepped closer only to see Naruto gripping the receptionist's desk while other visitors attempted to drag him away.

"Come on, you didn't check to see if they came in last night!" Naruto cried, wrenching himself closer to the desk.

Sakura paled and stepped back to shove some of the orange party decorations sticking out of her bag out of sight. _Ugh Naruto, always showing up right when you don't want him around!_

"Naruto! Get away from that desk!" Naruto cringed as he registered Sakura's sharp voice.

"Sakura-chan! Hey! Do you know if Teuchi or Ayame are in the hospital today?" he asked as he ran up to her, instantly losing interest in the receptionist in true Naruto-fashion. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Teuchi or Ayame? No they aren't here, I'm sure I would have seen them if they had been. Why?" she asked, blinking at the disheartened look on Naruto's face.

"I went to get ramen today like usual and Ichiraku was closed! Would you believe it? I figured one of them must be here because they _never_ just close like that! But if they aren't here, then where could they be…?" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his head as he looked forlornly out the window. Sakura bit the side of her tongue hard to keep herself from laughing. Oh, this was going _too_ well.

"Don't worry about it Naruto, I'm sure they are both fine and that there is a good reason. Check back later maybe?" Naruto looked back at his teammate and shrugged his agreement, looking at the bag on her shoulder.

"Hey, are you on your way out right now? Would you like to get lunch somewhere else with me?"

Sakura winced internally and scrambled to find an excuse. She hadn't expected to run into Naruto this early.

"Ah, no Naruto I can't. I'm just going to run a quick errand and then I have to come right back to the hospital. My shift today won't end until really late tonight."

Naruto's mood darkened considerably at her words. Yet another thing he would have to skip on his birthday to-do list. And Sakura hadn't even said anything about wishing him a happy birthday!

"Aw, come on Sakura-chan, are you sure you can't get out of it? Today's my…I was hoping to spend some time with you today…" He didn't want to point out it was his birthday like a whiny brat. _And I shouldn't have to tell her anyways!_ he thought angrily.

Sakura nearly caved as she watched Naruto try to indirectly make her remember it was his birthday, but she stood resolutely. "I'm really sorry Naruto, I promise we can do something tomorrow?" she offered innocently. Naruto just looked at her and she wilted slightly, surprised to see the hurt that flashed through his blue eyes before he slapped a nonchalant look onto his face.

"Yeah sure, no problem, Sakura-chan! I'll come find you tomorrow then." And with that he turned promptly on his heel and stalked to the hospital exit.

Sakura exhaled in relief and chuckled. She did feel a tiny bit bad about making Naruto think everyone forgot his birthday. But she told herself it would all be worth it when he discovered exactly what they all had been up to all day.

* * *

A few hours later, Hinata was wandering idly in the shopping district waiting for her cue. Nervous butterflies had been rattling her stomach all day as it got closer and closer to showtime, an apt term for what was about to occur. She might as well have been preparing to go on stage and act out a scene from a play. She had been running through her lines all day, reviewing a host of potential conversations she and Naruto might have while she worked to distract him.

The plan was to take him shopping. Hinata, Sakura, and Ino had spent hours discussing how Hinata would distract Naruto long enough to give them time to finish setting up the party space. Finally they settled on something that would keep the prank's momentum going (Naruto hated shopping) while also being so realistic that Hinata would barely need to lie to Naruto (she truly did need an outfit for the party). Despite years of Hyuuga meetings and events that required her to fake smile and pretend to care about what was being said, Hinata still didn't trust her poker face around the object of her affections. She absolutely did not want to be the one that ruined the entire surprise.

The hard part would be to make Naruto even agree to go shopping with her in the first place. If what Sakura said about his feelings toward shopping were true, then this was to be her biggest hurdle. He will already be in a bad mood from the other "mishaps" they had arranged for him earlier, so she had to be extra careful.

She jumped when the earpiece on her ear crackled to life.

"Hey, Hinata, you there? BlondBaka is walking south down Haru Street - I repeat - BlondBaka is southbound on Haru. Over."

Hinata shook her head. "Kiba-kun, stop calling him that!"

A crackly laugh was heard on the other end. "Sorry, Hinata. I'm just having way too much fun with this! Alright, if you hurry now you can intercept him by the shops at the corner of Haru and Mibiki. He'll be there in about two minutes. Over."

"Okay, thanks." Hinata breathed deeply to try and quell her pounding heart as she turned to sprint nimbly through the crowds of pedestrians as she followed Kiba's directions.

 _Ok, you can do this. Just pretend like it's an undercover mission. Stay cool. Stay calm. Stay collected._

She slowed to a stop as she saw herself nearing the corner of Haru and Mibiki Streets. It was one of the busiest intersections of the shopping district, a perfect place to bump into someone. Hinata walked calmly to a storefront and pretended to look at the window displays as she peered down the street.

Sure enough, she could already see his tall frame towering well above the heads of the people around him. Despite her nerves a smile broke out onto her face and she quickly turned around. She took off the earpiece and stuffed it into her small crossbody purse. Her hand bumped against a small box, and she glanced down as she tucked the brightly wrapped object deeper into the bag.

A quick glance with her Byakugan showed that he was fifteen seconds away from her, and she hurriedly fixed her hair using the window reflection before settling into what she hoped was a casual stance.

 _Well_ , she thought, _here goes nothing_.

Naruto trudged down the busy street with his hands in his pockets. One could almost see the rain cloud hovering over his head. After he had failed to get Sakura to hang out with him, he had tried to do the same with Shikamaru, and later Lee. Amazingly, both also said that they apparently had plans and couldn't spend time with him. He half-expected it from Shikamaru, but he had really hoped Lee was available. He was truly in need of hitting something at that point. But he was shocked when even Lee turned down his flat-out challenge to run around the perimeter of Konoha, or to jump a thousand jumping jacks, or to parkour around the rooftops until one of them collapsed from exhaustion. And to top it off, neither Shikamaru nor Lee had wished him a happy birthday.

He had eaten lunch alone, at a place that was _not_ Ichiraku, that did _not_ have ramen.

 _Eh, who cares?_ he thought bitterly. _My birthday was never anything special. I'm twenty, not five. I don't need to make it into a big deal._

He let out a sigh and shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his orange and black jacket. He glanced ahead as he prepared to cross the street when his eyes latched on to a familiar shade of indigo.

He froze as he regarded Hinata not but five feet from him, looking intently at dresses displayed in the window of a store. She was wearing a black blazer over dark wash denim jeans with simple black leather ankle boots on her feet. The rain cloud over his head parted and let through a crack of sunshine that lifted his spirits.

Hinata felt him tap her right shoulder and smiled inwardly as she turned, but no one was there. She snapped her head the other way to see him leaning against the window, a Cheshire grin on his face.

"Hey!" he said cheerfully. Hinata flushed at his mini prank.

"Oh, hello Naruto-kun! How are you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm alright, thanks! How are you? Doing some shopping?" He noticed she had a white silky top underneath the blazer.

Hinata's heart cracked a little as she watched Naruto not bother to mention that it was his birthday, or that his day hadn't been going well. She had felt all the pranks Sakura had lined up were a little much, but she reminded herself it would all be worth it later when he saw the big surprise.

She sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I have a few things I need to get, but…" she looked down worriedly at the watch on her wrist. Naruto cocked his head.

"What's wrong?" Hinata glanced at him with a nervous smile. "Well, I just don't have a lot of time, and I still haven't found what I needed. There are just…too many options!" she emphasized by waving a hand at the shops lining the busy thoroughfare.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, I know. That's usually why I give up on shopping altogether."

Hinata smiled. "I agree, I don't really like shopping either." she answered honestly. Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? Huh...I thought you liked that kind of stuff..." Hinata giggled softly.

"Why? Because I'm a girl?"

Naruto blushed slightly at his mistake. "No no! Well, I mean, I guess…" he said with a laugh. "I figured you spent a lot of time on clothes since you are always dressed so nicely." he clarified, nodding his head at her appearance.

Hinata blushed at his casual compliment. "Th-thank you. I can't take the credit though. It's mostly Hanabi who makes me buy all of this." she replied softly, tugging at her blazer. Naruto grinned.

"Ha! I guess we have that both in common. Sakura-chan is always making me buy new clothes, she says I have to 'keep up with the trends'."

Hinata laughed lightly. "Hanabi tells me the same thing." They chuckled together.

Hinata glanced at her watch again. It was time to get moving. "Well, I do need to get going, Naruto-kun…" Before she could execute her next line, Naruto beat her to it.

"I could come with you…that is, uh…if you'd like?" Hinata stared at him. Naruto chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"I don't really know anything about fashion, but, I could be your moral support!" he continued, flashing a lopsided smile. Hinata gaped at him for a moment before her lips stretched into a genuine smile.

"Y-yes, you can come! I would…really like that, Naruto-kun." she breathed, her lavender eyes twinkling. Naruto grinned back.

"Okay! Well, where do you want to go first?" Hinata mentally smacked herself out of her daze and pretended to consider.

"Oh um, well, why don't we just start here?" she suggested, pointing to the window display she had been looking at. Naruto nodded in agreement as he allowed her to lead him inside.

 _That was…easier than I thought it would be,_ Hinata thought to herself in amazement.

Naruto could have punched the wall for how lame he felt he sounded when he offered to shop with Hinata. In all honesty, he just wanted to finally spend time with someone today (especially if it was Hinata), even if it meant he had to go shopping. But hearing how Hinata felt about shopping put him at ease. It didn't sound like she was the type to spend hours in a store going crazy like Sakura or Ino.

As he watched her enter the store he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she too did not wish him a happy birthday. _But she never really knew when my birthday was, so it isn't her fault._ _And anyways, I don't care. No one needs to know it's my birthday._

"So, what are you looking for?" he asked conversationally. Hinata crossed her arms and peered around the store.

"Well, I was hoping for something I could wear during the day and the night. Something that can be worn in both casual and dressy situations." Naruto hummed thoughtfully.

"Does the color matter?" Hinata glanced at him, smiling at the effort he was making. "I was thinking something black would be fine."

After looking around the store for a few minutes, they both agreed that it wouldn't have what Hinata was looking for, seeing as most of the options were very casual in style. So they continued down Haru Street to try another store. They soon got to talking about Naruto's mission, and Hinata was shocked to hear that there was reason to believe the Nobu mission and the missing person mission were connected.

Hinata regarded Naruto with wide eyes. "What? But how? How do you know?"

Naruto gestured animatedly as he talked. "So first the homeless dude described the bad guys and they sounded just like the ones who had taken the scroll – tall, all black, and demon-like! _Then_ he showed us where he last saw the bad guys and he said they took the missing guy through some special hole in the side of this abandoned warehouse. The hole had been fixed already but Kakashi-sensei was able to figure out that it was some kind of weird portal seal that made it impossible for us to open the portal back up without some password. It just self-destructed when he tried to unseal it. So there's no way to tell where the bad guys are taking the missing."

He turned his head to look at her in excitement. "BUT guess what we found all around the broken portal?" Hinata just shook her head quickly to push him to say more.

His cerulean eyes sparkled. "The grey dust that you found in Nobu! It was everywhere, and Pakkun even said that it smelled the exact same."

Hinata reared back her head in surprise. "That is so strange! What could be the connection? What could possibly be the reason they are doing all of this?"

Naruto hummed in agreement. "I know, it's all so weird. Tsunade-baa-chan is forcing the science lab to come up with an answer for what that grey dust is exactly. It could be a big clue."

Hinata nodded as they crossed another street. "Yes, it could help us figure out where exactly they have taken everyone. I wish I could have been a bigger help with identifying the dust sample."

Naruto chuckled. "You already have been a big help! I'm sure the information you gave in the beginning helped them start off on the right foot. Baa-chan said they have been reaching out to other science labs in Fire Country, and not even they have been able to come up with an answer!"

Hinata smiled ruefully. "I suppose…I'm just so worried about those missing people. Their families must be so sad…" Naruto winced.

"Yeah, it was really hard telling so many people that we couldn't find their loved ones. I almost didn't want to leave, but you know how it is. Once the mission is complete, we have to go home."

Hinata nodded sympathetically. She paused as another store caught her eye. "Do you think we could go in here?" Naruto regained his cheerful expression as he responded.

"Whatever you want, sensei!" he said cheekily. Hinata giggled, and Naruto felt that fluttering in his stomach again.

This store seemed more up Hinata's alley, and before long she had begun to stack some garments across one of her arms.

Naruto followed her around the store and tried to be of use by showing her more things he thought she would like. Well, maybe for the first ten minutes. Then his new objective became making Hinata laugh as much as possible by giving her ridiculous recommendations.

"What about this?" He held up a flouncy hot pink dress that he knew was not at _all_ Hinata's style.

Hinata giggled once and shook her head. "Um, not quite, Naruto-kun…"

"What aboouuut this?" he asked a few minutes later, holding up a tacky blue top.

Hinata chuckled a little harder and shook her head again. "I don't think so!" Naruto grinned and disappeared amongst the racks of clothing, only to reemerge again with an oversized t-shirt with smiley faces all over it.

Hinata just stared at his serious expression and rolled her eyes as she turned away, and Naruto burst out laughing.

"Aww come on! I think you'd look great in this!" he chortled, grinning wolfishly as he laid it across her arm. Hinata laughed out loud and shook her head furiously as she hung it back up, and Naruto pretended to pout.

He watched as she pulled yet another plain black dress and chuckled.

"You don't think you could find something any blacker, Hinata?" he joked. Hinata just giggled.

"Black is easy to pair with almost anything else. It easy to dress up or dress down." she insisted. Naruto snickered.

"For someone who apparently doesn't like to shop, you seem to know quite a bit." he teased. Hinata scoffed.

"Everyone knows that black goes with everything, Naruto-kun!"

"Psht! Who is everyone? Not me!" he countered, to which Hinata just sighed and shook her head with a laugh.

"Okay, I think I'm going to go try these on." she said, looking down at the pile of clothes in her arms. "Do you…do you think you could wait for me?" she added, looking up at him nervously. She couldn't have him bail on her now.

"Of course! You have to model them for me, doncha?" he said with a huge grin, and winked.

OH Kami, that _wink_! Hinata blushed furiously and immediately whipped around to hide her blazing face.

"O-o-okay, I'll, uh, I'll b-be just a s-s-second!" she squeaked, fleeing into the nearest changing stall.

Naruto watched her go with an amused expression. He wasn't sure what he said, but her reaction had been quite entertaining.

He collapsed with a sigh onto a small couch and jiggled his foot while he waited. He watched the changing stall curtain jostle occasionally as Hinata moved around inside, and his cheeks flushed as he realized that thin curtain was the only thing between him and a very naked Hinata at the moment.

He was shaking his head furiously to kill his perverted thoughts before they could evolve when she came out with her first look. Naruto sat up a bit as he looked her up and down.

"Well…what do you think?" she asked shyly, stepping over to stand in front of a floor length mirror. She had on a mid-length black shift dress that, though it fit her nicely, was otherwise very plain.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Umm, it's nice. It looks good but, maybe there's something a bit more…interesting?" Hinata gave a tiny smile.

"I know, I think I agree." Naruto sighed with relief that she wasn't insulted and nodded encouragingly.

"Maybe try on another?" Hinata giggled at his words and went back into the stall to change. He leaned back in the couch and smiled to himself. Shopping wasn't all that bad. When it wasn't with Sakura. And instead with Hinata.

A few minutes later she came out with the next look. Another black dress, although it was cut a bit differently and featured a black sash that cinched the dress at her waist. Still, the dress was quite loose and didn't do anything for those amazing curves he was secretly dying to see.

"What about this? I like this one more." she asked, looking at herself in the mirror, already feeling comfortable under Naruto's critical gaze.

"Yeah it looks good. I just feel it looks a lot like the last one." he commented with a shrug. Hinata looked at him through the mirror with a raised eyebrow.

"But this one is different, see?" she protested, tugging at the sash for emphasis. Naruto hummed his skepticism and Hinata crossed her arms and smiled faintly.

"Fine…I'll try some more."

The next two dresses were just variations of what Naruto considered the same thing. They were all black and plain.

Hinata sighed and peeked at her watch again while Naruto chuckled apologetically. "Sorry Hinata. Maybe I'm not the best person to be giving opinions."

Hinata giggled softly. "It's okay Naruto-kun. I'm starting to run out of time so, I think I'll just pick one and see if I can pair something else with it to make it more interesting."

She began to make her way back to the changing stall. Naruto stood up and stretched his arms over his head and looked around the store idly, when something caught his eye. His eyebrows raised as he walked over to look at a dress they hadn't noticed before. It was mauve, and was made with a thick, soft cotton. It was sleeveless with wide shoulders and had a V-neck cut. The material was ruched in the bodice, and he could tell it was form-fitting. It basically had Hyuuga Hinata written all over it.

He snatched it from the rack. "Hey…hey Hinata! What about this?" Hinata turned from the stall she had been about to enter and blinked in surprise at the garment in his hands.

"I think you should try this one. I'm actually serious this time!" He shoved it into her hands. Hinata held it up and looked at it skeptically.

"Really, Naruto-kun? I don't know…" she said hesitantly. "It's not black." Naruto clasped his hands together like a beggar.

"I know I know, but pleaseee, just try it on? Just to see what it looks like!" _I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot._

Hinata giggled. "You sound like Hanabi." she said with a smile. Naruto just grinned.

"So you'll try it then?" Hinata deliberated, tapping her finger against her full lips, an action that made Naruto's brain temporarily lose power.

While they had been shopping, Hinata had the thought that it would have been nice if Naruto was better dressed for his surprise later. His jacket and t-shirt were fine for knocking around the city, but everyone would be dressed rather nicely for the party, and she knew that she herself would have wished that she showed up to her own party looking nice. But how to get Naruto to change? Her pearl eyes drifted over to the mens section of the store, which had been previously ignored. The lightbulb that went off in her head could have lit up the entire village.

Naruto blinked as she tiptoed away without pretext and began to quickly run through the racks of mens clothing. He frowned as she flipped through some dress shirts before pulling one out and skipping back over.

She thrusted a deep blue button down at him. "I'll try it on if you try this on." she chirped innocently.

His eyes widened. "Whoa whoa whoa, hold up. This shopping trip is about you, not about me, remember?"

Hinata bit her lip and swallowed a laugh. _Oh, if only you knew, Naruto-kun._

"It's only fair. You make me try on something, I make _you_ try on something." she insisted, pushing the shirt into his hands. Naruto furrowed his brows as he looked at the shirt. It didn't look half bad…

"It..it would match your eyes…" Hinata added, blushing faintly as she peered up at him hopefully.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Well…alright then… _Sakura-chan_." he mocked with a big sigh. Hinata smiled victoriously.

"You can go into that stall there, _Hanabi-chan_." she said, and Naruto barked a laugh as he just nodded.

Hinata struggled to mask her excitement. So far her little charade was going very well. And…she was having so much _fun_. Why had she been nervous again?

There was silence for a moment as they changed.

"Ugh, so many _buttons_!"

Naruto grinned as he heard her tinkling laughter.

Hinata heard the curtain swish as Naruto stepped back out. "I'll be out in a moment." she called.

"Okay…" Naruto regarded himself in the mirror. He surprisingly didn't mind the shirt. Didn't mind it at all. It _did_ match his eyes. It was made of a soft linen material, so it wasn't tight and uncomfortable like most dress shirts, yet it looked polished enough to wear out for a nice occasion.

He heard a curtain swish behind him. "Ha, hey I have to say it's pre-!" The words caught in his throat as he saw her reflection in the mirror.

"It's pretty…" He turned slowly to look at her fully. Hinata stepped timidly away from the stall, her arms pressed to her sides.

The dress fit her exactly how he hoped it would. The mauve color looked beautiful against her hair and skin and brought out the deep violet in her eyes. The ruching added a perfect amount of detail so that it didn't seem so plain, but wasn't too fancy either. It positively gripped her curves from top to bottom, and yet it covered her up in the right spots so that it remained classy, even falling just past her knees.

She looked flawless.

Naruto was silent as she padded over to stand beside him as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her expression grew to one of surprise as she slowly turned to the side, and then fully rotated, her head snapping around to see how it looked from the back. Naruto's eyes zipped over her body as she unknowingly gave him a perfect view of every angle.

 _Damn, damn,_ damn _!_

She finally glanced at him, nervous at his silence, and fidgeted with the ruching.

"Well…what do you think?" she murmured.

"…Yes."

Hinata blinked and looked up at him, a tiny smile appearing on her face. "Yes?"

He jumped and hastily cleared his throat. "AHEM, um. Yes, I mean…yes. I like it." he stuttered, cursing inwardly at himself. "It's the best one."

Hinata looked back at her reflection, a tinge of red coloring her cheeks. "You…you think so? It's just so...I look so…"

 _Gorgeous? Sexy as FUCK?_

"…different."

"It was made for you, Hinata." he gushed before he could stop himself. Hinata's now violet eyes flickered to his as her smile grew. Her eyes trailed down his face and danced across his chest, and she tucked some hair behind her ear as she began to advance towards him.

"The shirt looks nice on you, too…" she said softly.

Looks nice? Naruto looked unquestionably sexy in the fitted shirt that emphasized his broad chest and shoulders and clung nicely to his long, muscular arms. The deep blue of the shirt contrasted well with his dark jeans so that the blues didn't clash too much. And his eyes were just _electrifying_ now.

Naruto looked on with bated breath as she stepped behind him and stood on her tiptoes. Through the mirror he watched as she reached up to fix his collar, the warmth from her body sending strong shivers down his spine, and he clenched his hands in a monstrous effort to calm himself. His breath was shallow as he felt her delicate fingers smooth out the collar in the back and work around his neck to ensure it fell symmetrically in the front. His eyelids closed momentarily as he relished her faint touch.

As quick as she came she backed away and came to face him again, tilting her head as she deliberated. Naruto snorted softly at her serious face, trying to find a witty remark but failing as she reached for his left arm. She glanced up at him briefly with a quick smile as she took his wrist into her hands, and she began to neatly roll up the sleeve. He held his arm out for her as she continued up his forearm before finally stopping just below his elbow, and he felt a wave of déja-vu as her soft hands tickled his arms.

She giggled softly as he immediately held out his right arm so she could fix the other side too, and he couldn't help the stupid grin that popped onto his face before he quickly smothered it. _Be cool, Naruto, for once in your life._

Once she was done she stepped back again, and the smile on her face just grew. Naruto's ears reddened under her gaze.

"Huh, funny how just doing that made it look even better." he finally said, looking approvingly at her handiwork in the mirror. He had to admit he looked pretty good! His sculpted forearms were now visible and the rolled sleeves added a preppy flair that suited him well.

"I'll get this dress if you get that shirt." she murmured, peering up at him through her long lashes and clasping her hands behind her back.

"Get it…?" he repeated dumbly as he watched her toss her hair behind her shoulder. "I don't know..."

"Look, it's even on sale, Naruto-kun." she pointed out, tugging the sales tag hanging from the bottom hem. Naruto chuckled at her gentle excitement and rubbed the back of his head. He absolutely wanted her to get that dress...

"Is the dress really that bad?" he asked, smiling down at her. Hinata looked back at herself and clucked her tongue.

"It's really nice it's just, not really what I had envisioned for myself." she said with a nervous giggle.

Naruto frowned. "I don't know why! I think it works based on what you had been looking for. Look - you can wear it in the day, annnd..." he stepped quickly to her changing stall to grab her black blazer. He came back and stood behind her, holding it up with a smirk. Hinata blushed and let him help her slide her arms into the blazer. He lifted it slowly onto her shoulders, his fingertips barely grazing her bare skin before it was fully clothed once more. At this proximity he could smell her flowery scent, and he reluctantly resisted inhaling deeply.

"You can wear it in the night!" he declared, a bit proud of himself as the blazer actually paired nicely with the dress and her ankle boots and added a bit of edge to the feminine look.

Hinata blinked at his smug expression in the mirror and covered her mouth as she giggled.

"What?" he asked, grinning at her cheeky smile.

"Are you the same Naruto-kun who 'doesn't know anything about fashion'?"

Naruto smirked and quickly made a hand seal behind Hinata's back. Suddenly, another Naruto poked his head out of Naruto's changing stall.

"Hinata! Get away from him, he's an imposter! He came in here and beat the crap out of me and now he's trying to trick you into making you think I'm a pansy!"

Hinata burst into full-fledged laughter, doubling over with her hands on her knees. Her outburst continued as the clone continued to chase the real Naruto around the store, bonking him on the head with a clothing hanger. The saleswoman at the front of the store craned her neck at the noise and glowered.

Hinata was wiping tears from her eyes when both Narutos returned and the clone dispelled.

Naruto was sporting a devilish grin. "As payment for the first-rate entertainment I provided during this shopping trip, you can buy that dress."

Hinata held up her hands in surrender and wordlessly nodded as she struggled to catch her breath.

Naruto crossed his arms victoriously and snagged a look at himself in the mirror.

"And I'll get the freaking shirt." he added. Hinata giggled.

"Good choice." she said softly, internally jumping for joy. She then took a look at her watch and realized with a jolt that they were now running behind. Too many shenanigans!

"Oh, Naruto-kun! I need to keep moving." Hinata said anxiously. Naruto nodded.

"Sure, let's get changed then."

Hinata mentally smacked herself. He needed to keep the shirt on, not take it off! "Oh, is it ok if we just go straight to check out? You can just... wear it out!" Ugh. That was awkward.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in amusement. "It would take two seconds to switch our clothes." Hinata shook her head furiously.

"No! I mean... sorry I just, I have to make one more stop still, and I can't waste another second!"

Naruto blinked and chuckled at her strange request. "Alrighty then, if you say so." he relented with a shrug. Hinata exhaled in relief and tried to regain her composure.

After the store lady checked them out and clipped the sales tags from their respective purchases, they were back out on Haru Street, Naruto holding a bag that held their original clothes.

Naruto fidgeted a bit with one of his rolled sleeves. "So, where to next?"

Hinata looked around. "I wanted some new earrings to go with the dress, so I just need a jewelry store now."

Naruto glanced at her. She had kept the black blazer on over her new dress. For some reason he felt a weird pleasure from knowing he had selected the clothing she was currently wearing.

"So what are you doing later that is making you rush like this? Are you going to wear that dress too?"

Hinata heart skipped a beat and she chuckled nervously. She had to truly lie right now. But...what was her alibi again? She paled as her carefully crafted excuses flew out the window. "I, uh, well I…"

But Naruto didn't hear her soft stutters. "What, you got a hot date or something?" he continued with a chuckle, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Well…kind of…" Hinata stammered without thinking.

….Wait… _what_? That wasn't her alibi!

Hinata cringed at her mistake and made to glance at Naruto, but stopped when she saw he wasn't beside her anymore. She turned in confusion and saw him standing a few feet behind her.

"…Really?" he asked, staring at her with a frown. Pedestrians threw them both annoyed glances as they walked around them. Hinata gulped hard. She couldn't go back now, he would catch her in her lie!

"Um…yeah?" she replied with the most casual shrug she could muster. Naruto stared for a bit longer until his legs started moving again, and he caught up to her.

"With _who_?" he demanded. Hinata paled. This was not at all what she was supposed to say. And now he wanted details?!

"U-um…I...um…" she stuttered hopelessly as Naruto's frown only deepened.

"Is it Kiba?" Hinata's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

" _Kiba-kun_? Of course not!" she said immediately, looking at Naruto incredulously. He loomed over her for a moment before he straightened up and nodded curtly.

"So who? Do I know him?" he pressed. Hinata racked her brain. What could be believable?

"Well…no you don't…he isn't from Konoha." she began hesitantly as she frantically spun a half-lie in her head. Naruto's eyes were boring into hers, waiting for her to continue.

"He…is a family friend. Or rather, the son of a family friend. He is in town visiting with his family and so he asked me if I could accompany him to dinner as a way of showing him around Konoha."

Naruto let out a strange laugh. "What, does he think you're a tour guide? Why do you have to take him?"

She looked back at him, frowning slightly at his tone. "I'm the only one around his age who he somewhat knows here in Konoha, so I suppose that has something to do with it…"

Naruto snorted and was silent. Hinata furrowed her brows further at his weird reaction but was relieved he seemed to believe her excuse. They finally came upon a jewelry store, and Naruto wordlessly agreed to enter with her.

He remained quiet while Hinata looked at earrings, occasionally nodding as she held up some for his opinion. Hinata spirits fell a bit as she felt the sudden change in Naruto's mood. What was wrong?

As she peered into a mirror to see how a pair of delicate gold tassel earrings looked with the rest of her outfit, Naruto spoke again.

"So, do you think you may like this guy?" Hinata's mouth went dry.

"I…I barely know him so…I couldn't know yet." she responded softly, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He was restlessly running his hand through a small rack of necklaces.

"But, what do you think of him so far? Don't you know what he looks like?"

"We've met once. He seems like a really nice person." At this point, Hinata was back in the safe zone. This wasn't totally a lie. She did in fact meet such a family friend last year, who did ask her to have dinner with him. Back then she had already known that it was her clan's first foray in subtly arranging relationships for her. Luckily, through candid conversation she learned that both she and her date were highly against the arranged marriage concept, and they had been able to have an amiable dinner without having to fake an attraction towards each other. Both of their families had been quite irked.

Naruto picked up a bangle to inspect it. "What's so nice about him?"

Hinata took a deep breath. "Well, he is studying to be a medic-nin – it is the family trade – and he wants to be a pediatrician and work specifically with children. He often volunteers in his town to bring medical care to the poor. So based on that I assume he has a kind heart."

Naruto grunted, not making eye contact with her. "I sure he does…" he mumbled.

Hinata jumped at the pause in his interrogation to look at her watch. It was time to start walking to the party.

"I'm going to go buy these Naruto-kun, do you like them?" Naruto jerked his head in agreement.

"Ten out of ten?" Hinata added hesitantly, trying to nudge him back to normal. The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched up, and he finally made eye contact with her.

"Twelve."

Once outside the store, her newly purchased earrings dangling on her ears, Hinata steeled herself for the next big jump.

"Naruto-kun, would you like to walk with me to the restaurant?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "The restaurant where you are meeting your date?" Hinata blanched but nodded semi-innocently.

He hummed uncertainly. "Well, to be honest, I was thinking maybe I'd head home…"

Hinata swallowed hard. She couldn't lose him now, they were almost there!

"It's not too far. And, I...I wanted to hear more about your mission." This excuse was executed much better than the last.

Naruto exhaled and, after a moment's deliberation, nodded once. "Yeah sure, where to?" he asked shortly. Hinata resisted the urge to squeal.

"Oh, this way!"

They walked side-by-side, slowly leaving the shopping district. "So, besides what happened in Bincho, was there anything else interesting that happened while you were away?"

Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets. "Not really. Yasuda and Katsuya were both big let downs. I bet if we went back we'd have more luck in finding other sealed portals. But we're going to keep hitting dead ends unless the science lab comes back with another clue."

Hinata nodded, searching for a follow-up question for a discussion that was quickly drying out.

Naruto mood seemed to grow darker and darker with each step towards their new destination. He left his brain on autopilot to respond to Hinata's questions while he reeled from the discovery that she was in fact going on a date tonight. After he had just made her dress up in the most delectable outfit he had ever seen her in (second only to her purple swimsuit). After his birthday had finally taken a turn for the better. And he was walking her there, like he was a delivery boy delivering fresh ramen!

 _To a medic-nin. A real_ nice _guy._ _A real_ fucking _angel. Sharing ramen with Hinata in a tight dress that I picked out._

She was his friend. He shouldn't care.

But he did.

"Hey Hinata…" he said suddenly, cutting off whatever Hinata had been saying at the time. "Sorry but, I just remembered I have to go do a few things at home so, is it alright if I say goodbye to you here?"

Hinata's heart lodged in her throat. "O-oh! But, we are almost there… and you didn't finish telling me about…um…about…"

"I know, I'm sorry. We can maybe catch up later this week. See you later, okay? Have a great date." Naruto began to turn away.

"N-n-no! Wait!"

He paused, looking at her warily.

 _Think, Hinata, THINK!_

"I'm sorry, I should have been more honest…" Naruto frowned and turned back around.

"The real reason I asked you to walk with me is…" Hinata stepped gingerly over to him and slipped her arm around his. Naruto's eyebrows nearly raised to the heavens.

"My feet really hurt in these shoes. I'm not used to walking in heels…" she raised a foot for emphasis. "Would you…be able to help me walk until we get there? It's only two more blocks!" she pleaded, chuckling sheepishly as she tried not to blush furiously for her forwardness.

Naruto hesitated, his ears tinging red as he felt Hinata's delicate arm around his. He instinctively propped up his arm to increase the support. He really didn't want to go anymore, but how could he pass up having her on his arm?

"Okay… yeah no problem." Hinata nearly laughed out loud with relief but bit her tongue hard to restrain herself, and instead plastered a grateful expression on her face.

"Thank you."

They walked silently, Hinata slightly emphasizing her gait to keep up the impression that her feet hurt.

They were so close…

Hinata blushed feeling his solid bicep pressed against her arm as he supported her securely, and she couldn't help but imagine what it could be like if they walked around everywhere like this…

Naruto caught the tiny smile on her face. "What?" he asked, a similar smile creeping unbidden onto his face.

Hinata winced. "Ah…nothing." Naruto tugged her a bit with his arm.

"You're thinking about something. What?"

She glanced shyly at him. "I had fun today."

Naruto struggled to suppress a grin. "Yeah…it was fun. Even though it was shopping."

Hinata giggled. "I don't know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you enjoyed shopping, Naruto-kun."

He smirked. "Well…good thing you know better."

Hinata's lavender eyes fluttered up to meet his blue ones, and she nudged against him playfully. He nudged back, his smirk growing. They began to giggle as they pushed each other back and forth down the street, until Hinata stumbled slightly and Naruto pulled her upright.

"Why did you wear heels again?"

Hinata laughed and then sighed. "I don't know." She answered honestly.

Naruto chuckled and made to keep walking, but Hinata didn't move. He looked at her questioningly.

"We're…here…" she murmured.

Naruto blinked and turned to look at a rather large establishment that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He frowned at the sign: Motomuri's Inn.

"An inn? This isn't a restaurant… this is where you are meeting him?" he scoffed in disbelief. "What kind of date is that?"

Hinata tried not to hyperventilate. "Well, their bar is a popular local place. He didn't want to go anywhere touristy."

Naruto kept frowning at the building. Something wasn't right.

"Are you sure, Hinata? This place looks closed…it doesn't look like anyone is inside. The lights aren't even on!"

Hinata was actively considering just shoving him inside. "No, I remember specifically we said we would meet here."

Somewhere inside the dark inn, a certain pink-haired kunoichi eyed the ninjas on the street gleefully.

"Shhhh, everyone quiet!"

"Hinata, maybe we should wait for him outside or something."

"I think we should just check inside… this inn is often…dark…"

"I can't even feel anyone's chakra inside!"

"Maybe, but still let's just look."

"Wait! Let me do it. I don't like the look of this."

"…Okay."

Naruto cautiously turned the handle of the entrance and frowned as it easily opened. The door creaked ominously as he slowly swung it open, his body tense. Inside it was pitch black, he could barely see his hand in front of his face.

"See Hinata, there's no—"

"SUUURRPRIISEEEE!" Naruto nearly pissed himself as all the lights flicked on to reveal a room filled to the brim with people! Naruto's mouth simply hung open as his eyes flashed around in absolute shock.

People began to laugh and whoop as they beheld his dumbfounded face, pointing at the kunai in his hand.

Music began to play.

 _What the…_

There was Sakura front and center. Sai, Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino. Lee, Tenten, and Neji. Kiba and Shino.

"No…"

There were orange balloons and streamers everywhere. And hung across the back wall in huge red letters were the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO!

"No..no…no…"

Naruto couldn't even process it. His hands slowly reached up to rest on top of his head. "What is this…?"

"What does it look like, genius?" asked Sakura, wearing an ear-splitting grin. "You really think we forgot your birthday?"

A melodic giggle emanated from behind him, and he turned to see Hinata gazing at him with the biggest smile he had ever seen on the girl to date. She raised a hand to her mouth and continued to giggle.

It was then that it clicked for him. "You…you knew this whole time…you were part of this?"

Hinata clasped her hands together and nodded, her lavender eyes positively shining. "Happy birthday, Naruto-kun." she said breathlessly, her heart threatening to explode from happiness.

The biggest, stupidest, goofiest grin exploded across Naruto's face. But before he could say more to Hinata, he was yanked into a flurry of hugs and thumps on the back and birthday punches and fist bumps.

"Heh, baka. Can't believe you fell for all this." Shikamaru smirked as they slapped a high five before pulling each other into a manly hug.

"Happy birthday, Naruto!" squealed Tenten, flinging her arms around his neck. Neji just nodded at him with his own tiny Hyuuga smile.

"Happy birthday man!" Kiba grinned, punching him lightly in the chest. Shino nodded at him. "Happy birthday, Naruto." he said in his usual deep tone.

Lee jumped up next. "Happy birthday, Naruto-kun! Hey, I really do want to try some of those exercises you asked about earlier today! I just had to pretend I didn't want to! How about we do them tomor-"

Ino pushed to the front. "Come see who else is here!" she said excitedly, grabbing his arm. She pulled him past his swarming friends to reveal who was sitting casually in the back.

Naruto immediately felt a lump grow in his throat. There scattered amongst some of the bar tables sat Iruka, Kakashi, Guy, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. Iruka grinned at him and got up to clap him on the shoulder, pulling him into a hug once he saw Naruto struggle to prevent his face from crumpling in front of everyone who knew him.

"Happy birthday, Naruto!" said Iruka cheerfully, chuckling as Naruto squeezed him back, unable to thank him verbally.

Guy gave him his trademark smile and two big thumbs up as he wished him many more years of fiery youth.

Kakashi was definitely grinning from ear to ear behind his mask at the glistening look Naruto was giving him. "Yo. Happy birthday." he said while punching his shoulder fondly. Jiraiya came up behind him and ruffled his hair.

"Happy birthday, son!" he said with a booming laugh. Naruto smiled, finally reining in his emotions, and playfully knocked Jiraiya's hand off his head. "Oi, I'm twenty now. You can't do that anymore old man."

"Kami. Uzumaki Naruto is twenty years old. We are really in trouble now." drawled Tsunade, smirking at the blond ninja.

Naruto grinned. "You were always in trouble Baa-chan." He made to give her a hug but paused when he saw the figure behind her. It was the ANBU with the dog mask, the same one who had woken him up that morning.

Naruto frowned at him until the ANBU stepped forward and pulled off his mask to reveal…Captain Yamato!

Yamato smiled, a glint of mischief evident in his eyes. "Happy birthday, Naruto-kun." he said with a wink. Naruto laughed in disbelief before turning back to pout at the Hokage.

"Code Red? Really, Baa-chan?" he whined, to which Tsunade, Yamato, and Kakashi just laughed.

"Don't worry. My birthday present to you is a full week off this week. No missions, no homework." the Hokage replied with a faint smile. Naruto blinked in surprise and then whooped for joy, throwing his arms around the female Sannin, who just chuckled and hugged him back.

"Hey Naruto-kun, what about me?" Naruto relinquished his grip on Tsunade to see Shizune standing behind her.

"Hey Shizune!" Naruto greeted warmly, hugging her as requested. Shizune giggled, her eyes twinkling.

"Glad you finally made it Naruto-kun. With all this nice food just sitting here it was becoming hard to wait!" Naruto pulled away from her with a curious look when he followed her gaze to his right. He turned slowly and sucked in his breath sharply. "Oh…" he gasped, his voice cracking.

There stood a long table with three large pots sitting on top of individual burners, each of them releasing plenty of steam from the hot food within. Standing behind the table were Teuchi and Ayame. Naruto picked up the all too familiar scent of ramen, and instantly the lump in his throat was back with a vengeance.

"Hi Naruto-kun! We know you were looking for us earlier and we are sorry for making you worry, but it was all because we were here cooking all day for your-" Ayame was cut off when she was enveloped into an air-restricting hug from Naruto. Hot tears pricked his eyes, and a few had already tumbled down his whiskered cheeks.

Ayame's look of surprise softened as she felt his chest shudder erratically and she hugged him back, her own eyes growing wet. "Oh Naruto-kun…" she cooed while rubbing his back. Teuchi came over with a smile and rustled Naruto's hair softly, and Naruto wordlessly pulled Teuchi into a group hug.

The other guests looked on with warm smiles and glanced at each other in satisfaction. Hinata wiped her eyes as she watched Naruto peek excitedly into the various pots on the table, his momentary burst of emotion already passed.

Naruto finally took a big sigh. "Alright…so who's big idea was it to torture and manipulate me for my birthday?"

Sakura proudly raised her hand as everyone laughed. Naruto smirked and went over to his teammate.

"Should've known. Couldn't we have just skipped all of the painful stuff and went straight to the party, Sakura-chan?" he whined.

Sakura beamed at him. "Of course we could have. But that would have been no fun at all! Don't you think the pranks made the surprise that much better?"

Naruto huffed. "I guess so, but it wasn't all that funny when I was going through it. I was stuck doing dumb reports all morning!" More laughs followed, especially from Yamato.

Lee stepped closer. "Think of it this way Naruto-kun – now that it is over, you can look back and laugh at what you went through!" Naruto grumbled something under his breath in response, but smiled again as he heard Sakura laugh. She shrieked as he suddenly grabbed her into a hug.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan." he said sincerely. Sakura giggled.

"Anything for my favorite knucklehead." she replied sweetly. Naruto smirked as he let go of her. "You're _only_ knucklehead." he reminded her with a grin.

"Oi, care to say a few words, birthday boy?" asked Tsunade with a smile, handing him a glass of sake. A number of people in the room began to chant. "Speech! Speech! Speech!"

Naruto feigned exasperation but leaped up onto a table with a big grin to numerous whoops and applause.

"Alright alright, so congratulations, you've finally seen what I look like when I cry, so thanks, you can all go home now." He ran a hand through his hair and grinned sheepishly while the group roared with laughter.

"I got to hand it to you all. I never thought I could be pranked so well by so many people in one day, but I was wrong." More laughter. "Seriously, all of this means so much to me – I truly couldn't ask for better friends – a better family." He smiled at all of the faces of his most important people, who were all smiling back at him.

"First, I'd like to say thank you to myself, for not totally losing it on all of you." The crowd fell into raucous laughter once more, hanging onto every word of Naruto's entertaining speech.

"Second, I'd like to _acknowledge_ Sakura-chan for all of the planning she put into this – I'm not sure if 'thank' is the right word for this situation…" Sakura clapped as she laughed while others whooped and applauded her.

"Third, I'd like to thank Hinata and compliment her on her superior acting skills. She easily had the hardest job of distracting me for hours by taking me _shopping_ no less. But she managed to persuade me to come here and even tricked me into buying this shirt for the occasion…" He grinned widely as he held out his arms for everyone to get a good look at his appearance, causing a renewed round of incredulous laughter and catcalls. Hinata, who's face had instantly lit up the moment she heard her name, covered her mouth as she laughed while everyone patted her on the back for her ingenuity. "I was wondering where that shirt came from!" Sakura was heard yelling in astonishment.

"Fourth and last, thank you to everyone here who participated and came out just to wish me a happy birthday. I just don't have the words to describe how happy it makes me to see you all in the same room just for my sake. You all are the best…" Naruto bent his head slightly as a wave of emotion overtook him again, but grinned as the shouts and applause picked up again. "So I guess here's to me!" he concluded with aplomb, and everyone cheered and pounded the tables while they toasted him back.

The party resumed once Naruto came down from his speaking platform. He continued to be pelted with attention from the party guests while Teuchi and Ayame prepared to serve up the ramen. Lee and Tenten steered him to a table piled high with gifts, the sight of which overwhelmed him all over again. He couldn't help but skim his eyes over the name tags and note that one name in particular seemed to be missing, but he couldn't be sure.

Hinata had been cornered by Sakura and Ino who pressed her for details of her and Naruto's shopping trip, particularly how she managed to make Naruto buy a shirt. They cackled as she recounted the story, reiterating their thoughts about her good-thinking.

"So Naruto actually picked out that dress for you? Wow, I'm impressed. It's actually super cute!" Ino gushed, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Yeah, and he wanted you to get it so bad he even bought a shirt in order to persuade you? Hmmm…" Sakura hummed, a similar evil look in her eye as a smirk appeared across her face. _Could it be…maybe Naruto is finally getting the picture!_

Suddenly, the man of the hour himself sat down next to Hinata at the bar table the girls were sitting at, two bowls of ramen in his hands. Naruto was looking at Hinata, asking her for her attention, and Sakura and Ino giggled before quickly excusing themselves to "get more sake".

Hinata blushed as Naruto pushed one of the bowls to her.

"I'm sorry." he stated. His serious expression was marred by the twitch in his lips that showed he was struggling not to smile. Hinata held back her own smile and studied the steaming bowl in front of her.

"Next time Sakura asks me to distract you again, I'm going to say no." she said softly, humor dancing across her pearl eyes.

Naruto threw his head back as he laughed hard. "Nooo, Hinata! I said sorry!" he said, grinning as he pushed the ramen closer to her. Hinata playfully turned her head away.

"Now that everything makes sense again I feel bad about what I put you through. But, like I said before, your acting skills are amazing." he grinned as he reminisced. "I never suspected a thing even once!"

Hinata giggled and turned back to him, taking the bowl. "Your apology is accepted. I just kept telling myself that it would all be worth it when I got to see the look on your face when we surprised you." she replied with a smile.

Naruto huffed, but his eyes were playful. "Well, I hope I didn't disappoint." he smirked, breaking apart his chopsticks.

Hinata giggled and shook her head. "No, you did not. I particularly liked that you already had a kunai in your hand by the time everyone shouted surprise. Your reactions are getting better…" she smiled as she used her own chopsticks and brought some noodles to her lips.

Naruto laughed as he thought back to her lesson at the lake. "Yeah yeah, Hinata, go on, tease all you want." The truth was, he _loved_ when her playful side came out. He paused as he watched her daintily consume her ramen, eyes zeroing in on the tip of her pink tongue that briefly appeared to lick broth off her lips. Her full, rosy, extra kissable lips.

At that point, Kiba, Lee, Shikamaru, and others sat down around them with their own ramen bowls, and the conversation extended to include all guests as everyone poked fun at Naruto's earlier cluelessness. Naruto just rolled his eyes and allowed his friends to tease him, but not without letting loose a few of his own verbal jabs as well.

Because of the extra people squeezing around the one table, Naruto and Hinata were sitting so close that their arms were pressing against each other. Every time Naruto moved to eat more ramen with his chopsticks, or every time Hinata reached for her drink, they both felt friction between each other's limbs. For Hinata, who had taken off her blazer, the feeling of his linen-clad muscles against her bare skin created particularly strong sensations.

Naruto was feeling slightly giddy from Hinata's flowery scent that had been circling him ever since he had been pushed closer to her by their friends. That coupled with the sake he had been drinking was beginning to make him lose his ability to think rationally.

At one point, he placed his hand on the middle of Hinata's back, immediately getting her attention.

"I'm going to get some more ramen. Do you want some?" he murmured into her ear so close that his lips had been mere millimeters from her earlobe. Hinata swallowed as strong tremors cascaded up and down her neck and spine, Naruto's hand being the epicenter.

"N-no, thank you, Naruto-kun." she whispered back, daringly turning her head ever so slightly so now his lips were a hair's breadth from her cheekbones.

And this is what she saw: Naruto's sapphire eyes flashing down to look squarely at her mouth before flicking back up to her lavender orbs. The action, which spanned all but half a second, was enough to set fire to her very core.

"Okay." he replied, his warm breath caressing her face, making Hinata's lips part in a breathy gasp as she felt wetness pool between her legs. His hand remained on her back until he fully stood up and walked away. Hinata shivered as the heat from his hand disappeared, and desperately took a swig of her water to relieve her dry throat. She couldn't do anything about the butterflies threatening to blow a hole through her stomach.

Naruto was still riding the high from his birthday surprise, so it makes sense that he would be a bit more touchy-feely than usual.

 _Calm down…calm down Hinata…_

Eventually, many bowls of ramen later, everyone stood up to stretch and refill their drinks while they digested. Naruto made some more socializing rounds, especially with his older guests.

Hinata sat by herself for a moment, fingering the wrapped object in her purse nervously. Her eyes flashed to the table piled high with gifts, but she shook her head to herself. She had hoped to give it to him personally. Maybe right before she left?

But then she saw Sakura waving at her from across the room, and she stashed away her gift-giving concerns for the moment.

Not long after, the chatting died down as the lights dimmed and the music was paused. Naruto frowned, but a flash of light across the room soon answered his questions before he could voice them.

Sakura and Hinata were both holding a large cake with a bunch of candles and were stepping slowly towards him. "Happy birthday to you…happy birthday to you…"

Everyone began to join in raucously, the sake pushing them to belt the words as loud as possible. Naruto grinned bashfully, rubbing the back of his head as Sakura and Hinata stopped before him.

"Make a wish." Hinata said, loud enough so he could hear her over the over-the-top singing. His eyes lingered on Hinata's face which was illuminated beautifully by the candlelight, her rosy lips pulled into a sweet smile.

A wish? A vision of his lips pressing against hers flashed by, and he clenched his jaw as he tore his gaze away to look at his cake. Inhaling deeply, he blew out all his candles in one go.

When the lights turned back up, he took another look at the cake and laughed. It was the same shape and color as a naruto fishcake, pink spiral and all. "Wow… you guys are something else." he sighed with a shake of his head, and more laughter ensued.

Shortly after the cake was shared out, some guests began taking their leave, starting with Tsunade and Jiraiya. Naruto got up to start thanking his guests once more.

Neji approached Hinata quietly. "Hinata-sama, will you be leaving soon? I can escort you."

Hinata smiled faintly at her cousin, glancing over at Naruto who was thanking Teuchi and Ayame profusedly. "Ah… I may stay a little longer Neji. Is that okay?"

Neji stoically watched the direction her eyes were flickering towards and smiled inwardly. "Sure, but please make sure either Kiba or Shino takes you home. Don't stay too late, Hinata-sama."

Hinata sighed at his protectiveness but knew he was doing it to preempt her father from saying worse things. "Yes of course. Goodnight, Neji-nii-san."

Naruto had been watching Hinata out of the corner of his eyes while he had said goodbye to some of his older guests. He saw her shrug on her blazer before beginning to hug the girls goodbye, and he realized with a pang that she was planning to leave too. After exchanging a few parting words with Iruka, he glanced again only to see her hanging back shyly, her body language conveying that she was waiting on him.

Naruto hurriedly wrapped up his conversations and excused himself, his smile growing as he quickly made his way to her.

"Hey! You leaving already?"

Hinata smiled ruefully. "Yes, I should go before it gets too late." she said in that whispery voice that he was starting to adore.

"Okay then. I'll walk you!" The enthusiastic offer left his lips automatically, and his smile faltered as his brain caught up with his mouth. Was that unnecessary? Would she think he was babying her?

Hinata's blinked in surprise and blushed, a nervous giggle escaping her. "Oh! You don't have to do that, Naruto-kun. You should stay here and enjoy the rest of your party. I think either Kiba-kun or Shino-kun was going to leave with me…" she trailed off as she tried to locate said men in the room. Kiba was standing on a table, drunkenly singing along with Ino to the pop song that was playing from Ino's speaker. Shino had offered to help Tenten and Lee clean up, and was busily employing his kikaichu to eliminate every last crumb on the ground.

Naruto chuckled as he looked at her teammates. "They seem a bit preoccupied. Besides, you don't live far. I'll be back before anyone notices I'm gone!" he insisted, hopeful now that he saw she was more concerned about inconveniencing him rather than him being overbearing.

Hinata turned back and giggled sheepishly as she considered. Maybe it would be easier this way.

"I would appreciate your company, Naruto-kun." And with that, Naruto's smile turned up to Guy-like levels, and the pair quietly made their way out.

Once outside, Naruto offered Hinata his arm, causing Hinata to smile cheekily. Naruto stopped and looked at her in disbelief.

"So your feet were never hurting either? Man…" he sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead and dragging it down his face. Hinata emitted a tinkly laugh and shyly linked her arm around his, causing Naruto to stiffen in surprise.

"I suppose it's the least you could do as repayment for all the trouble I went through." she said airily, grasping at a fleeting burst of boldness before she changed her mind.

Naruto eyes gleamed as he computed her words and he propped up her arm with his, a devilish smirk cutting across his face. "You're _completely_ right." he said, overemphasizing his apologetic tone, and they chuckled as they continued down the street.

Laughs and giggles could be heard as Naruto and Hinata recapped the day from Hinata's point of view. Naruto grinned as he heard how Kiba helped Hinata position herself just so Naruto would think he was just running into her, or how ironic it was when Naruto had argued the shopping trip was for Hinata and not for him.

"So…I guess I can't trust anything you said to me today, huh? Everything was a lie." he accused, but with humor in his tone. He was trying not to get distracted by the feeling of her slender fingers wrapped around the crook of his elbow, but couldn't help but silently enjoy how manly it made him feel.

Hinata giggled and shook her head insistently. "Not everything was a lie! I tried to insert as much truth as possible so that it would come out more natural."

"So you don't really like to shop then?"

Hinata smiled. "I truly don't. It's overwhelming sometimes. I kind of like that Hanabi has decided to be my personal shopper." she said with a giggle.

Naruto smiled briefly but it faded as his next question burst forth. "And... you are going on dates with a medic-nin from outside of Konoha?" he asked nervously, forcing his eyes to stare straight ahead.

Hinata giggled a bit louder. "No, that one was a lie. Well..." she hummed thoughtfully. Naruto whipped his head to eye her.

"So you are?" His fist began to clench.

"I lied about going on a date tonight. But I did have a date with such a person around this time last year." Hinata corrected. Naruto frowned, his fist relaxing a bit.

"Oh... well what happened? Why weren't there more dates?" Who wouldn't want to date Hyuuga Hinata?

Hinata blushed at his interrogation. "We both knew we were being set up by our clans so that we would get married, and neither of us wanted to be in an arranged marriage. Luckily he was very open about his true intentions, and we were able to have a normal, friendly dinner. We found a way to get out of having to meet again." She smiled up at Naruto.

Naruto smiled lightly as he glanced back at her, but what she said still bothered him. "So the Hyuuga are pushing you to have an arranged marriage?"

Hinata's smiled dropped from her face, and she looked down sadly at the cracks in the sidewalk. "It is their preference, yes. The main family children are often placed into arranged marriages. My parents were arranged... and when Hanabi gets old enough, they will want to do the same with her."

Naruto's sharp gaze fell onto her side profile. "And you've tried telling them you don't want the arranged marriage?"

Hinata laughed softly. "Well…yes and no… the best I can do is find excuses to push it off. I have no support in the family to lean on whenever we are discussing it. It is a longstanding tradition in the clan to have arranged marriages. If I openly refuse…it is bad enough that I am resisting their efforts to end my teaching position." Hinata ended vaguely, not wanting to go down the rabbit hole of her various clan-related fears.

Naruto clenched his jaw. "This is…this is wrong…have you talked to Tsunade about it? If anything, she could be the one to-"

"The Hokage has enough more pressing matters to deal with, Naruto-kun. A clan's marriage practices fall outside of her realm of responsibility. I already owe her too much as it is." she interrupted gently. She went on to explain how the Hokage has stepped in regarding her teaching position.

Naruto growled under his breath and prepared to fire off another protest, but Hinata peered up at him, her eyes beseeching his. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun! So far they haven't had me meet with anyone else in a while. I think they are more focused on my teaching role. So for now…I am okay." she said, willing her tone to sound optimistic. She smiled prettily. "It is your birthday. Let's not talk about such things…"

Naruto let out a big sigh, not willing to let it go, but he heard the subtle plea in her tone to drop it for now. "Fine…" He felt sad that Hinata didn't ever want to talk more about herself. He wondered if she didn't fully trust him, or if she didn't consider him a close friend.

They walked in silence for a moment.

"Are you sure you don't want to be with that medic-nin?" Hinata looked up at him warily, but saw the tiny smirk on his face.

"Yes, I am very sure."

"I thought you said he was 'really nice'."

Hinata huffed. "He _was_ really nice…"

Naruto's smirk grew. "So what was wrong with him?"

"Nothing! I just…didn't feel a connection."

"So he was ugly?"

Hinata gasped and stared at Naruto, who was grinning widely.

"He…he wasn't _ugly_ …he was…um…" Hinata struggled to find a proper response, but at this point Naruto had thrown back his head to laugh hard. Hinata flushed, but she couldn't stop herself from giggling as well.

"He had a nice personality! I just wasn't…attracted to him…" she finished lamely. Naruto snickered and looked down at her, flashing that wolfish grin that never failed to make her dizzy. She tore her eyes away from his to look down the street with conviction, and she lightly slapped the arm she was holding onto to convey her slight irritation, although the tiny smile on her lips betrayed her.

The little action made Naruto's heart swell.

They rounded a corner and began to slow as the Hyuuga compound came into view.

"Well…thanks again for everything today, Hinata. It was the best birthday I've ever had." he said, his tone low with gratitude. Hinata smiled up at him. "Of course, Naruto-kun. It was my pleasure." she said softly. She slowed to a stop by a streetlight, and Naruto looked down at her questioningly, since they still had to cross the street to her main entrance. He frowned as she detached herself from him and faced him more fully.

Hinata quickly smiled before biting her lip anxiously. "Um, so…just in case you weren't sure if I had forgotten your birthday or not…I wanted to give you this." She reached into the purse slung around her shoulder and pulled out a small, narrow box covered in shiny red paper with a gold ribbon. She slowly held it out to him using two hands.

"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun." she whispered, the sweetest smile forming on her soft lips.

Naruto stood there frozen, staring at the beautifully wrapped present in her tiny hands.

"Oh, Hinata…" he breathed. "You didn't have to…" Still, his hands slowly raised up to accept the item, which she carefully deposited into his hands.

"I wanted to." she murmured, a blush tinging her cheekbones, pearl eyes flashing up to search his face for a reaction.

A silly, childish grin broke out onto his face as he slowly looked from the gift to Hinata. "Thank you." he said, his voice equally as soft as hers. One hand immediately went to pull at the ribbon when he halted, remembering his manners, and chuckled sheepishly.

"Go ahead," said Hinata, fidgeting nervously. "I think I may need to explain what it is…" Naruto blinked at her, his grin expanding as excitement overtook him.

He quickly pulled off the ribbon and began to remove the paper, trying to preserve her artful folds and creases but eventually failing, chuckling apologetically when he ripped it. Hinata giggled and nodded for him to continue.

A moment later, he was staring down curiously at the long unpainted wooden box in his hand. From the street lamp he could see that the perimeters featured delicate carvings, but it was otherwise plain, although he could tell it was well made by the feel of the wood. He glanced up at Hinata, wondering nervously if he should be praising her gift, when she giggled. With a hand, she gently pressed one of the shorter sides of the box, which gave inwards, and he watched as an inner compartment slid out on the other side. The outer box was just a case.

Inside the compartment was a scroll. Naruto's eyebrows shot up as he chuckled.

"Now you're going to make me read? I thought the pranks were over for the day, Hinata." he joked, and Hinata laughed with him. "I think you may find it interesting." she said softly, blushing as she continued to fidget nervously. Naruto grinned and began to carefully remove the scroll from its container, allowing Hinata to hold the box for him as he pulled open the scroll.

The smile slowly faded from his lips as he concentrated on reading, his eyes flicking up at her wide ones briefly before moving closer to the lamplight to get a better look. He held the paper closer to his face as his expression turned to one of genuine puzzlement.

"...a jutsu scroll?"

Hinata cleared her dry throat slightly, knowing it was time to elaborate. "Sort of. I got the idea a week ago when I was training with my fans. I was thinking about our spar and your Rasengan, and how it could be even more useful if you could throw it, instead of only using it in close combat. I got this visual of throwing the Rasengan the same way I can throw my fans, and I tried writing down my thoughts on how it could possibly work…" she trailed off as she watched Naruto's face fall into a deep frown, staring intently at the scroll in his hands, and she lost confidence.

"But…of c-course, I don't know the Rasengan as well as you do, so most likely w-whatever I wrote isn't really c-correct. I just thought, s-since you are going to b-become the Hokage, it would help to strengthen y-your jutsu portfolio as m-m-much as possi-"

"It's brilliant."

Hinata paused her stuttering and looked at Naruto in surprise. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he shook his head slowly in amazement.

"I…I've been thinking the same thing. I always thought there could be a new level for the Rasengan, but I kept experimenting how to magnify its power using my clones. I never thought about _throwing_ it…not even Jiraiya…and what you wrote here…it makes sense…it's brilliant." He finally looked up at Hinata, his eyes so electric they were practically glowing in the dark.

" _You're_ brilliant."

Hinata's face burned at his intense words, her heart hammering in her chest in as relief flooded through her. "Oh...you think so?"

Suddenly, he was in front of her. "I know so." He slowly rolled the scroll back up and placed it back into its box with Hinata's help. Once it was safe he found her violet eyes with his. A myriad of emotions flooded through his being as he gazed at the petite girl in front of him. She had given him something. She had taken time out of her life to do something for him. And she did it because she believed in his goal, she believed in _him_. She thought it would make him _happy_.

"Can I…can I hug you?"

Hinata blinked and the prettiest smile graced her lips. "You don't have to ask…" she murmured, blushing ferociously.

Naruto struggled to contain himself as he got closer to her, reaching out with his arms. Despite what he knew about her ninja abilities, she just seemed so soft and small and delicate to him that he was afraid with all the emotion he was feeling he would crush her by accident.

He exhaled in wonder as his hands touched the small of her waist, and he slowly slid them behind and up her back. Hinata responded by raising her arms up to initially hold on to his shoulders, but as he bent farther they slid around his neck. It nearly knocked the wind out of him when her chest pressed up against his, and his entire body felt like it was going to shatter as he held her.

 _Kami…_

He suddenly readjusted his arms and gripped her tightly as he stood up straight, bringing her with him. Hinata squeaked as her feet hung off the ground by several inches, and she held on tighter to his strong shoulders. Naruto closed his eyes as her scent enveloped him, and he savored the feeling of her torso rising and falling against his as she breathed. He felt her gently rest her head on his shoulder, and he sighed deeply.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Train with me tomorrow. We can practice it together."

"…I can't…"

His brows furrowed and he craned his head back to look at her. Hinata pulled her head off of his shoulder to look at him regretfully. "Why? If you have class, we can go afterwards."

"I have a mission."

Naruto scowled deeply. "Aw come on, are you serious?" he protested, his voice raising in his frustration.

Hinata winced and nodded.

"For how long?"

"Not long…I should be back on Monday." Naruto growled and looked away. He was still holding her.

"When I come back, I promise we can work on it together." Blue eyes reluctantly met lavender ones, and Naruto felt his anger dissipate.

"Fine…and we also need to have a rematch. Don't think I forgot." he said, a smirk lighting up his handsome features. Hinata blushed, feeling faint from being held by him. The feeling of being pressed up against his rock-hard chest was too much, and his face was so close to hers! The fluttering in her stomach was unbearable.

"I didn't forget, either." she whispered, a playful smile creeping onto her face. Naruto smiled back, and he allowed his eyes to sweep over her face once, memorizing all of its curves and dips, imprinting her scent on his brain. He finally set her down, holding the scroll box in one of his hands.

"Goodnight, Hinata. Be safe, tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Naruto-kun. I will." Hinata gave him one last smile before turning to cross the street.

Naruto smirked as he watched her go. "Hey, nice dress by the way. Who picked it out for you?"

Hinata glanced back, that playful smile back on her lips. "Oh…some pansy I know."

Naruto nearly fell to the ground as he roared with laughter.

* * *

Later that night, when one would think everyone would be in bed, a man in a white coat ran through the empty streets. He was slightly overweight, and he huffed and wheezed as he rushed to his destination, a pile of papers flapping in one of his hands. He turned down another street and ran down a row of houses, finally coming to a stop in front of one.

He scurried up to the main door and knocked desperately. He stood still for a moment, still gasping as he caught his breath, and then resumed his knocking.

A light flashed on in a second floor window, and a silhouette appeared there. The window was pulled up, and a shrewd looking face popped out of the window.

"Yes? Who is knocking like this?" he called gruffly.

"Rumino-san! Rumino-san! Please open the door! I have to share something with you. It's with regards to the mineral samples from Nobu."

Rumino frowned at his visitor's words and withdrew his head. Various windows began to light up as lights were turned on, and the man in the white coat heard footsteps approach the door.

Rumino opened his door to usher him in. "Miyatori-san. Please, come in." Miyatori thanked him wheezily and stumbled inside, fumbling to remove his shoes.

"Never mind the shoes. What of the samples?"

Miyatori nodded furiously, rifling through the papers in his arms. "We finally received the samples we ordered from the Suna astronomical lab, and my team began comparing them with the Nobu samples straight away. It took a moment to get through all of the testing, but…" he pulled out a report to hand to Rumino. "One of the Suna samples matched."

Rumino pushed his spectacles up his nose as he read the document intently. "We still want to do a few more tests just be sure, but this report is the most promising result we've had to date… However, I am not sure what it could mean for the Hokage's mission…" Miyatori trailed off uncertainly.

Rumino's eyes widened as he read the results at the bottom of the report.

"…Moondust?"


	13. Chapter 13

(A/N): Thank you again for the positive reviews! I know some may be a bit disappointed Naruto and Hinata haven't gotten together yet but don't worry, it will happen, and when it does it will be amazing. Let's all enjoy the buildup together.

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN – THE INCIDENT**

Hinata sighed as she plopped down onto the creaky bed in the tiny inn room that she had been staying in for the past couple of nights. Her, Kiba, Shino, and Ino were in the bustling southern Fire Country town of Iroha, where they had been deployed to look into a potential money laundering scheme that the Hokage suspected was being run by the local Iroha politicians.

It was a lot of spying and undercover work that Team 8 excelled in, and Ino was added to provide medical assistance as necessary. Their task had been to collect evidence that the town mayor and his cabinet were involved in some kind of illegal financial activity so that they could be hit with a formal warrant and possibly be arrested. Indeed, with the help of Shino's kikaichu, the team had been able to tail one of the cabinet members and listen in on a secret meeting thanks to Kiba's sharp hearing. Hinata was able to use her Byakugan to witness them blatantly forging fake financial documents in order to hide the fact that they have been siphoning off hundreds of thousands of ryo from important public funds.

They had just come back from reporting their findings to the local authorities, who were to get right to work with issuing a warrant to search the homes and personal files of the political suspects. After a celebratory meal, the Leaf ninja were going to spend one last night at the inn before heading back to Konoha in the morning.

"Hey Hinata, are you done with the bathroom?" asked Ino, who had been packing her travel bag in preparation for the journey home. Kiba and Shino were sharing the room next door.

"Yes Ino, you can go ahead." Hinata replied as she reluctantly got up to begin folding her clothes back into her own bag. Her back was still a bit sore from crouching in her hiding spot while scoping out the politicians for hours and she raised her arms into a stretch.

She walked to her night table to gather some toiletries and paused to look out the window. Iroha was a beautiful, picturesque village with charming historic buildings and a lot of green space. Their view from the inn was well placed and she could see the village lights winking back at her, the historic buildings and landmarks illuminated by the street life and the glow of the full moon.

She smiled lightly at the images and turned away, wondering to herself how she could possibly come back for leisure instead of work. She brainstormed this while she packed a few more things into her bag and sighed as she couldn't think of a potential opening in her busy teaching schedule. Maybe just after the new year?

Before she could blink her imagination conjured an image of her and Naruto visiting the town for fun as a couple, and she sighed at the thought. She had been frustrated with the frequency of her Naruto daydreams as of late. But how could she not?! The way he hugged her on the night of his birthday was like nothing she had ever experienced. No one had ever hugged her with all their being like Naruto managed to. She had been encased in his arms, her entire weight held up securely. What an invigorating feeling to have their chests were pressed together like that! And their faces had been so close…

 _So damn close!_

And it made her feel exhilarated and yet devastated at the same time. If Naruto had truly liked her, he had the perfect opportunity to kiss her right then and there. No one was around. She was more than willing.

So the fact that he hadn't must be solid proof that he didn't feel any sort of way about her! He was just really happy about her gift, and in general was in a great mood. And Naruto just did random things like that.

And as usual she was overanalyzing every detail like a crazy woman.

She sighed again and turned to grab more items from her night table, glancing outside once more. She was about to turn back when she stopped. What was that?

She stepped closer to the window and squinted out into the dark streets. A tree blowing in the wind? The shadow of a cloud passing overhead?

Her eyes widened as she saw it again. Definitely neither a tree nor a cloud. She watched as a tall, black hooded figure slipped around the corner of a house. She stood frozen for a moment before she cursed inwardly at her stupidity and activated her Byakugan.

She watched as the figure stood outside the house. Suddenly, there was a flash of chakra, and the figure was now slipping into the house, which was inhabited by one other chakra signature.

"I-I-Ino..." Hinata whispered.

The suspected intruder glided up to the second level towards the other individual. One by one, the lights in the house flickered and went out. Hinata gripped the railing as she stood frozen at the window, watching as the figure got closer and closer. Then the inhabitant's chakra flared up, and the intruder attacked.

"INO! KIBA! SHINO!"

A surprised shout was heard from the bathroom, and the sound of running water squeaked to a halt. "Hinata?!"

The door burst open as Kiba and Shino rushed in, kunai in their hands. "What is it, Hinata?" Kiba asked, his eyes searching around the room wildly. Behind him stood Akamaru, growling menacingly.

"It's them! The Nobu kidnappers! They're trying to kidnap someone again!" Hinata cried, pointing furiously out the window. The kidnapper had already dragged the victim swiftly to the ground floor.

"Nobu kidnappers? What do you mean, Hinata?" asked Kiba with a confused tone. Hinata groaned, forgetting that they didn't know about Naruto's mission to Bincho.

"Nevermind, we just need to help that person! They are being kidnapped right now! Come on!" Ino poked her head out of the bathroom, her body wrapped in a towel and her blonde hair hanging in wet strands.

"Wait what?! Where are we going?" she exclaimed in shock. But quick as a flash, Hinata had already wrenched open her window and was slipping outside feet first.

"Wait! Hinata!" Kiba cried, scrambling after her as the Hyuuga heiress leaped outside.

"Let's follow her quickly. We cannot let her go alone. Evidently this has something to do with the Nobu mission, and so it is of our concern." said Shino. The two men and the dog thus began to pursue Hinata out the window.

Ino yelled frantically after them. "Wait, you guys! I don't have clothes on!"

Hinata made her way nimbly across the roof of the inn and hopped into a tree, scanning the invaded house rapidly with her Byakugan. It was empty.

Hinata gritted her teeth and searched with her eyes until she saw the two chakra signatures fleeing into the forest that bordered the southern end of the town, and without hesitation she sprang out of the tree in that direction, knowing that Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino were behind her.

The four of them touched the ground and took off into a sprint.

"How many of them, Hinata?" called Kiba.

"Just one, but there could be more." she returned.

Sure enough, she saw the individuals were slowing down, and about four more chakra signatures were coming into view a bit farther ahead. Hinata signaled for her team to slow. If the kidnappers didn't know they were there, then maybe they could take them by surprise.

Covered by the forest vegetation, they peered into a small clearing. There stood two tall figures identical to the one they were chasing. Each had a civilian next to them. _More victims_ , she thought. For some reason the civilians were not putting up any type of fight. Their chakra signatures were almost too calm.

 _They must be under some kind of genjutsu._

Once the pair they had been chasing had caught up with the group, one of the kidnappers faced the exposed wall of rock behind the group and began making hand seals. Hinata's eyes widened. _They're making a portal!_

"We need to go now, before they get away!" she hissed. Kiba and Shino nodded curtly and prepared to strike.

The hooded figures snapped their heads to the left all at one time as they heard an ominous rumbling advancing towards them through the trees. Upon catching sight of an oncoming wave, they grabbed the civilians and leaped away in different directions.

Kiba and Akamaru went for one pair that flew their way, while Shino took the other. Hinata sped out of the woods, panting from her surprise attack, and went for the pair they had been chasing, which had been caught by the wave and thrown against the rock wall.

The hooded figure recovered and generated three balls of chakra with one hand. Hinata skidded out of the way as the enemy launched the attack her way. She covered her eyes with her forearms to block the blast of debris that resulted from the chakra hitting the trees to her side. When she was finally able to look up, she saw the tall enemy fleeing around the rock wall with its captive in tow.

Hinata made to give chase but halted, remembering her teammates. Kiba and Shino were putting up a good fight, but they still hadn't managed to subdue the other two enemies yet.

"Kiba, Shino! I'm going after them!" she cried.

"Huh? No way, don't go alone!" yelled Kiba as he aimed a punch at his opponent's masked face.

"I agree Hinata. Wait for us, or at least for Ino to catch up!" echoed Shino, who was corralling the third enemy with his bugs.

But Hinata was already engaging her Byakugan. "I can't! They'll get away if I wait! Just find me with the kikaichu!" And with that, she turned and ran into the woods despite her teammates' loud protests.

"Damn it!" cursed Kiba.

Hinata raced as she tried to keep the kidnapper and its victim in her sight. _It moves so fast_ , she noted in amazement. She slipped out her water fans from her weapons pouch and calculated quickly. She didn't want to do anything that might hurt the civilian. She made some targeted swipes as she ran, and she saw the enemy stumble as the ground turned to mud at its feet. With her Byakugan she saw it revving up its chakra for another attack, and she swerved as three more chakra balls came pummeling her way.

The blast was so strong it shoved her roughly into a tree, the tree making a sickening crunch as her head knocked against it. Hinata flinched and gripped the tree as she struggled to stand, groaning as she pushed her Byakugan to stay active. Her eyes and temples were beginning to throb from the constant use of the kekkei genkai. She saw the kidnapper change direction to head east, and she took a few deep breaths before she staggered back into a run.

They were nearing another clearing, she noted, and quickly raised her fans into the air. Less trees meant more accuracy with her water attacks. As soon as she entered the clearing, she began to channel the groundwater below her feet to the surface, creating a long whip which she used to lash out at the enemy. It stretched far, and the enemy sprung to the left to evade her. She smiled lightly as she watched it get closer to the clearing as she had hoped it would.

But to her surprise the hooded figure seemed to want to go that direction anyways. It sped out into the open without hesitation and glided towards another wall of rock. Hinata entered the clearing and used her water whip in an attempt to force the enemy to stop and attack. But it was fast, and it dodged her repeated attacks.

With her Byakugan vision she saw an opening in the rock wall that was fast approaching, and she frowned as she realized the enemy seemed to be heading towards it. She swept over the carved rock with her eyes and quickly registered that it must be one of the ancient ruins that this region around Iroha was known for.

Hinata gasped as she suddenly saw another chakra attack barreling towards her, and she barely leaped out of the way in time. She gritted her teeth as she watched the kidnapper enter the cave of the ruins with its victim still in tow. Still, she slowed upon approaching the entrance to the ruins. She did not sense nor see any additional enemies inside, but it wouldn't be smart to enter such a place without her teammates knowing. She knew Shino left a kikaichu on her as he always did, but in case the insect was unable to communicate with its brethren through the walls of the ruins, she decided to throw a flare up. Akamaru would be able to smell its acrid smoke. She quickly fingered through her pouch for the red flare and released it above her head with a loud pop. Nodding solemnly to herself, she took a deep breath and plunged into the darkness.

Hinata pushed her Byakugan to its limits as she sprinted soundlessly through the pitch-black corridors of the ruins, on high alert for additional enemies. She could see her target weaving in and out of the narrow shafts that spread out into a maze as far as her kekkei genkai could see.

Hinata puffed as she ran, beginning to feel fatigue from the constant sprinting, but she forged on. It was quite unlike her to ignore her teammates in the way she had, but her knowledge of how important it was to apprehend these kidnappers had cemented her resolve. She flew through the pitch-black corridors, noting the cool, damp feel that was the interior of the thousand-year old ruins. She let some distance expand between her and her target so that she could regain the element of surprise.

She squinted as she saw the kidnapper enter a large chamber with its victim still in its grasp, and she slowed her pace as she watched her target come to a pause. She lowered her chakra as low as possible as she transitioned into stealth mode, advancing silently to stand by the entrance to the chamber. She saw it begin to kneel in front of a wall with ancient writing, having left the victim standing passively to its side, and begin flashing through hand seals. She stiffened and quickly fell into an attack stance – she couldn't let them get away!

Concentrating hard on the element of water, Hinata exhaled in relief as she sensed a large body of groundwater under her feet, and she strained to pull the liquid from the cracks in the ground to form a water whip. Without missing a beat, she launched her whip far, aiming for the victim's body. It wrapped securely around the man's ankle, and she yanked hard to pull him out of the enemy's grasp. The man's body fell to the ground roughly midway between the enemy and Hinata's positions.

The hooded figure had immediately straightened once it lost its grip on the man and whirled around to face Hinata. Hinata stared back at its face, frowning at the bandages wrapped around the lower half of its face and at its narrow, slitted eyes, and slid deeper into her Gentle Fist stance.

"Who are you?" she cried, her shout echoing through the enormous chamber.

Her words were ignored as the enemy held out its hands to summon six chakra orbs and promptly sent them careening towards her. Hinata scrambled back behind a large pillar and protected her head with her arms as the multiple explosions rattled the ground and sent chunks of debris flying everywhere.

 _Its attacks make close combat impossible,_ she thought as she peered at her opponent's location with her Byakugan. _Better to use the fans._

She used the cover of the dust to her advantage and stepped out of her hiding spot to fling one razor sharp fan straight at the enemy. The weapon tore into the left side of the enemy's torso, causing it to instantly fall to one knee. But Hinata barely had time to smile in victory as she saw it easily stand back up and generate another round of chakra orbs to retaliate. Hinata gasped as she saw the bright flashes of light and tumbled to dodge, but the blast sent her flying into a nearby wall, and she cried out as her body struck the hard surface.

Hinata struggled to push herself up, but cried out as a bolt of pain shot through her ribcage. Sweat dripped down her nose as she painstakingly sought out her enemy with her failing Byakugan, and she saw the outline of its imposing frame stalking towards her. _How is it still standing when the fan cut right into it?_ She swallowed as she thought back to Ginza's comment about how these _things_ may not even be human.

The chamber lit up with the light from new chakra orbs beginning to form in the enemy's skeleton-like hand, and panic gripped Hinata as she renewed her struggles to move out of the way. She groaned as she forced herself to sit up against the wall behind her, dropping her fans. _I only have chakra for one more attack._

Her opponent was moving slow due to her earlier attack, and Hinata clenched her teeth as she raced to defend herself. She flashed through a series of seals before she began to call upon one of her water nets. Used before during a game at the beach, the true use of the nets centered around defense.

As Hinata strained to generate her jutsu, she felt a strange vibration behind her, almost like the wall was humming.

The chakra orbs were fully formed now, and the enemy was in an attack stance. Hinata exhaled sharply and forced more chakra into her net.

Suddenly, a blinding light shone from behind her, and the enemy paused. Hinata frowned and turned her head to squint at the wall behind her. There was ancient writing all along the wall she was leaning against, and each character was illuminated in bright white light. Hinata stared at the sight in confusion, but turned her head back when she heard the kidnapper running towards her, throwing the chakra orbs in her direction. In her last-ditch effort, Hinata cried out as she flooded her water defense with the rest of her chakra.

And then something strange happened. The wall of shining characters brightened to unbearable levels until a wave of energy pulsed from the wall outwards through the chamber. The phenomenon duly knocked both her enemy and its chakra orbs backwards until she couldn't see them beyond the overwhelming brightness. But strangely, Hinata felt herself falling backwards into the wall, and she shut her eyes as a deafening roar in her ears drowned out all her other senses.

And then there was silence. Hinata's eyes fluttered open and she suddenly inhaled with a gasp as if she had forgotten to breathe. Just then, she heard a voice echo around her, it's tone sounding deep, masculine, and ancient…

" _Byakugan Princess…_ "*

Hinata jolted upright, the pain in her side somehow having disappeared. She peered into the painfully bright whitespace that surrounded her. _Who said that?_

" _Do not let the world my elder brother created come to an end…_ "*

Suddenly, a man stood before her dressed in a white and tan kimono. His facial features spoke of an age, and two short horns poked out of his head that was covered in shoulder-length grey hair. He stared directly into her eyes, and Hinata sat frozen under his gaze, all questions dying on her lips before she could voice them.

And then her setting drastically changed. She was outside now, sitting in a desolate field of dirt. The sky was a dark stormy grey, and the wind was roaring loud in her ears.

Hinata's heart thumped wildly in her chest as she looked around in confusion. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of two separate armies standing silently at opposite ends of the field. One side held crimson military flags with an image of the sun on them, while the other side had dark blue flags with crescent moons.

Hinata's eyes drifted to a tall tower that loomed behind the army with the moon flags. At the top of the tower was a gigantic stone orb.

The leading general of the opposite army raised his hand in a silent command to attack, and the soldiers began to rush forward.

" _Tenseigan, activate!_ "*

Hinata snapped her head back to look up at the huge orb in wonder as pale blue chakra began to coalesce by its center. She watched as if entranced as the chakra condensed and then radiated rapidly outwards. Then, a beam of concentrated chakra burst from the orb and drove a trench in the earth towards the attacking army.

The field promptly exploded into fiery chaos, and Hinata clasped a hand over her mouth as she heard the screams of dying men. As the dust settled the field revealed itself to be full of dead bodies. The entire sun army had been obliterated with one attack.

 _No_ …Hinata thought in absolute shock as tears pricked her eyes. _How…all those people…gone at the same time…_

But the images around her were fading, and Hinata swayed as darkness settled in around her. _No…I have to…help them…_

" _Hinata….Hinata_!"

Hinata heard her name being called, this time by a familiar, female voice, but she couldn't open her mouth in response. Her body was getting heavy and she was feeling herself falling backwards yet again. She then heard the man's voice a third time.

" _Only you, Byakugan Princess, can destroy the Tenseigan_."*

She felt a sharp pain in her eyes, and then the darkness engulfed her.

* * *

Meanwhile, at an immeasurable distance away, a man in white and tan robes stood by the entrance to an enormous chamber. With pale aquamarine eyes, he watched in silence as dozens of hooded figures zipped back and forth around what could only be described as a giant sun-like orb. The orb sat at the center of a network of enormous crisscrossing steel bars that curved dome-like overhead. Footsteps were heard behind him, but he didn't turn to regard the tall sentry that looked identical to the others working in front of him.

"Otsutsuki-sama, your guests have arrived."

The man simply inclined his head without turning away from the scene in front of him. Moments later, a simpering voice was heard.

"It seems the construction is going well." The man named Otsutsuki turned his head slightly to acknowledge the chakra signature behind him that was subdued, but foretold of an immense power.

"Yes, the scroll proved to be extremely valuable in our efforts to replicate the original weapon." he replied calmly. His guest stepped leisurely to his side.

"Are there any concerns that I should be aware of?"

"None as of yet. We have been building the army as you know. While the vast majority of my subjects are ready for battle, we have been supplementing our reserve forces with some new _recruits_ , so to speak…"

His guest raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Recruits already? I didn't know the Otsutsuki army was so popular."

The man smiled lightly. "Maybe not yet, but for now that is unnecessary. We have been sourcing them from various villages and are leveraging our memory genjutsu to gain their obedience for now. Once all shinobi have been eliminated from Earth, they will serve as our subjects in the New Earth. With time their obedience will become natural, especially once we communicate the Celestial Decree to them."

His guest nodded thoughtfully. "Kill enemy shinobi but save civilians to ensure some sort of society still continues on. A well-thought out plan."

The man bowed slightly before continuing. "The last step will be crucial. While we have enough Byakugan to generate a new Tenseigan, none of them are as strong as what I need to replace my own eyes. As leader of the New Earth I will need to possess the most powerful Tenseigan available. Because the Byakugan we have stored over the centuries will not do, I will need to…harvest…a new pair."

His guest looked at him. "So you are going to raid the Hyuuga clan." he stated.

The man inclined his head. "Yes. We have begun to profile potential candidates, and there are quite a few to choose from. The clan leader Hyuuga Hiashi is obvious, but there is also Hyuuga Neji, a branch family member who is surprisingly strong, a prodigy even. Hiashi-sama's daughters are also exceptional. The eldest, Hyuuga Hinata, is said to be quite beautiful as well…I may consider taking her as my wife. I will need a new queen when I am in power and she must also have the Byakugan to ensure it is passed on to my heirs."

The guest chuckled. "Again, it is clear you thought this through. When will you go visit the Hyuuga? You know that the Hokage and the Konoha Leaf shinobi will not let you simply stop by and steal the top members of their most prominent clan."

The one named Otsutsuki laughed lightly. "Of course, those barbarians wouldn't understand. I believe I will have to wait until the moon is nearly in position. Once it starts to destabilize they will have more to worry about than a few Hyuuga going missing…"

His guest tittered in agreement. "Oh absolutely. I simply cannot wait for the fun parts to begin. Is there anything I can do?"

The man clasped his hands together. "Your offer is very kind. Currently there is no action on your part. However, in about a month's time I would like to discuss the military strategy with you. As my future army general, you should be involved in planning the subsequent stages of my plan to execute the Celestial Decree."

The guest inclined his head. "Of course. I will be waiting for a message from you to plan our next conversation. If there is nothing else to discuss now, I will take my leave."

The man finally turned to face his guest, and light green eyes met slitted yellow ones.

"Nothing else for now. Again, I am thankful for your support, _Orochimaru_."

Orochimaru smiled wide. "It is my pleasure to be of service, _Toneri-sama_."

* * *

Orochimaru stepped through the temporary portal created by one of Toneri's guards into the clearing in the forest that was their landing site. He nodded once at the guard before it stepped back through the portal and sealed it, leaving the exposed slab of rock they just came through appearing as good as new.

Orochimaru looked up into the night sky at the half moon and smirked to himself.

"Hmm, yes. A smart one, that Toneri- _sama_. He created a very well thought out strategy. It seems all will go according to plan quite nicely."

The exiled Sannin chuckled, his tone low with mirth and something more ominous.

"But _whose plan_? That is the real question. Isn't that right…" His snake-like eyes drifted over to Toneri's second guest, who was hidden from the light of the moon by the shadows of the trees.

"… _Sasuke_?"

* * *

On Monday afternoon, Naruto trudged into his apartment and kicked off his shoes with a big sigh before flopping onto his couch. He had just finished intense training with Jiraiya for six hours straight until Jiraiya straight up told him he would lock him in his toad stomach jutsu for the rest of the day if he didn't give it a rest already. After his birthday Naruto had shown Jiraiya Hinata's gift, and they had spent the weekend trying to make the Rasengan go airborne. Jiraiya had been intrigued by Hinata's scroll, and agreed it would be a worthwhile endeavor to at least see if it was feasible.

Naruto had realized two things during his training so far: one, Hinata's idea was indeed feasible, and two, while feasible, it would require him to push his abilities beyond their current limits to generate the amount of chakra needed for such an attack.

The thought about raising his most powerful attack to an even higher level excited him to no end, but he knew it would take a lot of time to master. On the first day, he had mistakenly thought that he could accelerate his training with his clones like he usually did. But the training was so chakra-intensive that he nearly passed out when two teams of clones tried to develop the new jutsu at the same time. After that Jiraiya forbade him from using clones beyond the few he used to generate one attack at a time. Currently he couldn't even get one to fully work without feeling drained, so today Jiraiya started putting him through a few drills to start pushing his already ridiculous stamina even further.

Naruto's stomach growled loudly, but he groaned at the idea of getting up from his spot on the couch. He instead fished lazily in his jacket pocket for the scroll box Hinata gave him and wearily held it up to the light, smiling despite his fatigue.

After his surprise party he had laid in his bed for hours into the night simply staring at Hinata's gift: fiddling with the inner compartment and fingering the carvings on the box. He had held the scroll open and analyzed it like how a devout priest analyzes a religious text, and he noticed how much effort she had put into it. It wasn't just a few notes scrawled onto a piece of paper with a pencil; she had used an ink brush to write out the jutsu in delicate calligraphy. She must have written it down somewhere else and copied it onto the fancy parchment. It was something meant to be kept for a long time.

He couldn't help but wonder: does she go to such lengths for all her friends? Or was this special, something she would only do for him?

Well that was a dumb question. Hinata is the kindest sweetest most thoughtful person in the village. Of course she would do the same for any of her friends.

And it frustrated him to no end how deflated that thought made him feel.

He could have gotten his secret birthday wish. He could have kissed her. She was there, in his arms, her face inches from his.

But what if she didn't feel the same way about him? Embarrassing. Plus he had never kissed a girl before, what if he was bad at kissing? Doubly embarrassing!

He could have ruined their friendship. And the thought of not being able to be around her like he could now made him feel…

He shook his head. He didn't want to think of the words he would use to end that sentence.

Still, on his way back from training he couldn't help but stop by the Academy and look for her as the students exited the school for the day, but he only saw Iruka waving off the students.

Disappointed, he assumed she would be arriving from her mission later in the evening. So he resigned himself to having to wait until tomorrow to see her.

He sighed and forced himself to set down the scroll box and haul himself to kitchen to regain some energy via instant ramen.

After eating and then showering, Naruto managed to pick up a second wind, and he decided to sit down and take another look at his progress with the arts fund analysis. If anything he felt doubly inspired to make the arts fund happen after what Hinata had done for him.

 _It's for the kids. And as repayment for her amazing gift. Those are honest, friendly reasons._

After reviewing his notes, he decided there was not much else he could discern than what he already knew, but he wanted to start the next step of figuring out the numbers. But he sucked at that. So it was time to find some help.

"Shikamaru! Hey…. _Shikamaru_!...SHIKAMA-" Naruto's bellows ceased as the door to the front entrance of the Nara estate swung open to reveal a very perturbed Shikamaru.

"Naruto. _What_?" Shikamaru asked in a tone that somehow sounded bored and angry at the same time.

"…Ru…" Naruto chuckled nervously at Shikamaru's death glare before continuing.

"Shikamaru, can you help me with something really quick? It involves math and you know I'm not good at that…"

"What makes you think I'm good at math?" Shikamaru retorted.

Naruto scoffed. "Don't give me that shit. You know you are the smartest ninja in our age group!"

Shikamaru chuckled. "Say I'm the smartest in all of Konoha and maybe I'll consider…"

"You fucker." Naruto growled as he pushed his way past a chortling Nara.

"So…why are you doing this again?" drawled Shikamaru as he flipped through the yearly education budgets.

Naruto exhaled harshly as he sat adjacent to Shikamaru in the Nara tea room, his arm crossed in irritation. "I told you, I just think it would make a big difference in how they teach at the Academy."

"Well, there are lots of things one could do to make the Academy better. What made you think of the arts fund?"

Naruto jiggled one of his feet under the table. "Well, I was chatting about it with Hinata and she told me about the impact that the arts fund could have on the students. And later when I was doing some stuff for Tsunade I just happened to find these reports and see that the arts fund is pretty cheap to keep up! So you know, I just figured it's an easy win…a low-hanging fruit." he replied, remembering that term from some conversations he had listened to in the Hokage's office.

Shikamaru glanced at him and grunted. "Chatted about it with Hinata, huh? So you two… _chat_?" he asked, boredly watching Naruto's facial features twitch and then stiffen into a mask. Of course, out of everything Naruto had said, Shikamaru had to zero in on that one point.

"Yeah. We chat sometimes. Like how people who know each other usually do." he snapped. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at his tone and smirked lightly before shrugging and looking back down at the reports.

"Sure…so what do you want me to do?"

After well over an hour, Shikamaru was able to do some calculations after Naruto walked him through his thoughts and notes.

There were pieces of scratch paper littering the table and the floor, but both Shikamaru and Naruto were staring at one such paper, and the numbers written down at the bottom.

"So…it could be enough?" asked Naruto slowly. Shikamaru took a sip of the coffee he had brewed midway through their session.

"…With a few rearrangements to some of the spend allocations in other buckets…yes." the Nara concluded. "You did a pretty good job of finding the discrepancies, I have to admit."

And the two friends glanced at each other and smiled.

* * *

The next day, after doing some morning training by himself and then eating lunch at Ichiraku, Naruto was heading home to shower and change when he heard the nearby shouts and screams that indicated the Academy students were outside in the training yard. His heart fluttered at the thought of catching sight of Hinata, and he quickly made his way to the same tree where he had once viewed her lesson.

His eyes scanned the yard, looking past the running children for indigo hair and pearl eyes. He frowned when he caught sight of Iruka standing by the Academy entrance as he watched over the class.

 _It's Tuesday. She should have been back_. Naruto thought before he could comfort himself with plausible explanations. He caught sight of Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon sitting under a tree, and he tilted his head at the upset expressions on their faces.

Naruto dropped to the ground and walked up to the yard fence, peering through a space in between two slats of wood.

" _Psst_ , Konohamaru, it's me! Naruto!" he whispered loudly. The three Genin looked around towards the direction of his voice before Konohamaru locked eyes with his. The Third Hokage's grandson ran up to the fence.

"Naruto-kun! What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

"I was just passing by and noticed Iruka-sensei was teaching instead of Hinata…" Naruto answered quickly. "Did he say anything about when Hinata will be back?"

The three Genin looked at each other in distress. Konohamaru eyed Naruto warily.

"Naruto-kun…you didn't hear?"

Naruto tensed, not liking Konohamaru's tone. "Hear _what_?"

Konohamaru took a deep breath. "Hinata-sensei is in the hospital. Something happened on her last mission. That's why Iruka-sensei is teaching today."

 _In the hospital._

Naruto had stopped listening after those words.

"The hospital…" he murmured, feeling his heart drop faster than an anchor falls into the sea.

Konohamaru turned at the sound of Iruka calling in everyone back into the classroom. "Sorry Naruto but we have to-" Konohamaru stopped as he turned back to see that the electric blue eyes had disappeared.

Naruto reached the hospital in record time, ignoring the protests of the receptionists as he blazed up the stairs straight towards the patient ward on the second floor. He finally stopped in the middle of the hallway, eyes searching wildly for a familiar face as nurses and medic-nins bustled around him. He was contemplating breaking into each patient room until he found her when he saw Tsunade step out of a patient's room at the very end of the hallway.

"Tsunade!" he yelled, taking off once more down the hallway. The Hokage looked up in surprise at the blonde ninja fast approaching her.

"Naruto…what are you-"

"Baa-chan, is Hinata in there?" Naruto interrupted loudly, looking anxiously at the closed door behind Tsunade.

Tsunade glared at him for interrupting. "Yes… she is in there but _you can't go in_!" she cried as Naruto immediately began to push past her. Tsunade gripped the sleeve of his jacket, and Naruto turned at her to argue when he heard the door open once more.

He whipped his head around to stare into the pale eyes…of Hyuuga Hiashi.

"May I please ask that you keep your voice down, Uzumaki- _san_." The Hyuuga clan leader spoke in a low tone, the honorific added almost sarcastically. "My daughter cannot rest with this commotion happening just outside her door."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Hinata's father. He had never liked the sound of him from what he heard through Hinata, and now seeing and hearing him in the flesh only confirmed his extreme distaste for the man who obviously thought he was above everyone else. He chose to ignore the tall, imposing man and turned back to Tsunade.

"What happened to her? Is she going to be okay?" he asked, concern embedded in his questions. Tsunade looked at him, both irritated and slightly taken aback by the level of his anxiety.

"She is going to be okay, Naruto. As for what really happened, we are still trying to figure that out."

Naruto had let out a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding in once he heard the word "okay". If Tsunade said she would be okay, she would be okay.

"Now please leave. I am still debriefing with Hiashi-sama. Hinata is not taking visitors at this time, so you will have to come back later." Tsunade continued firmly, talking over Naruto's attempt to ask follow-up questions.

Naruto clenched his fists in frustration and glanced at the door behind Hiashi, wrestling internally with himself before turning away without another word, not caring if he seemed rude.

 _They don't know what happened to her? What the hell were her teammates doing?_ He thought angrily as he exited the hospital. Deciding that he would just find out for himself, he made a seal and summoned a group of clones before beginning his manhunt for the rest of Team 8.

Kiba sighed as he leaned against a tree at the edge of training ground 12, Akamaru lying by his feet. Shino sat cross legged a few feet away. They all had a rough night of rushing Hinata back home to get her to the hospital earlier that morning, but despite the fatigue the male members of Team 8 couldn't bear to just go home when their "sister" was lying unconscious in the hospital.

Suddenly, Akamaru picked up his head and emitted a short, gruff bark. The leaves on the tree behind Kiba rustled, and a black and orange blur dropped to the ground in front of him.

Kiba looked up at Naruto, who was looking down at him with an uncharacteristically severe expression.

"Wait here." The blonde ninja ordered before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Kiba blinked and looked at Shino.

"What was that about?"

Shino nodded slowly. "We are not the only ones who are upset about Hinata."

Moments later, the real Naruto dropped down in the same spot and stalked over.

"Do one of you mind filling me in on why no one knows what happened to Hinata?" Naruto growled, cutting to the chase as he stared down Kiba.

Kiba glared back. "One, we do know what happened to Hinata…well…for the most part. And two, I ain't saying anything until you dial back that attitude of yours. We didn't do anything wrong. Hinata is mainly responsible for what happened to herself. We aren't happy about it either if you couldn't tell."

Naruto gritted his teeth but joined them by sitting on the ground. "Okay fine, I'm sorry. Now please, tell me what happened?" he huffed, trying to calm himself down.

Kiba sighed and rubbed his temples as he prepared to tell this story yet again.

"Okay so we were in Iroha doing regular reconnaissance and finished the mission by Sunday night. We were getting ready for bed when Hinata saw someone getting attacked in the house next door by who she said was one of the 'Nobu kidnappers'…do you know anything about that, by the way?"

Naruto inhaled sharply. "Yeah, I know exactly what she's talking about. On my last mission we found out that the same guys who took that scroll from the Nobu library are the same who have been kidnapping a bunch of people around Fire Country these last few weeks. I told her about it on my birthday. So you went after them?"

Kiba nodded, eyebrows raised at Naruto's story but continuing on. He ran through the events leading up to engaging the group of kidnappers in the forest.

"And then she just freaking runs off without us! Even though Shino keeps a bug on all of us so we can find each other, neither of us were able to follow her since we were still dealing with the other goonies. We eventually managed to get the victims away from them, but both got away through some crazy chakra-hole they created out of midair. They just disappeared to who knows where!"

Naruto nodded impatiently. "Yeah, they can make portal seals. So what about Hinata?"

Kiba blinked as he absorbed Naruto's comment. "Hinata had followed the thing into these old ruins and had faced off with it there. Thank Kami she had the sense to send up a flare, because that's probably the only reason why Ino had caught up to her as quickly as she had. When Ino got to her, everyone was on the ground: Hinata and the civilian were lying unconscious, while the goony was dead. It was nearly cut in half. Hinata must have used her fans on it." Kiba smiled with obvious pride.

Naruto had been hanging onto every word, his facial features flipping from shocked to worried to amazed and back again.

"So…so she got it?" he breathed.

Kiba cracked a grin for the first time that day. "Yeah….she got it."

A lopsided grin spread on Naruto's face. "Holy shit." They were quiet for a moment, thinking about Hinata's valiant effort and its implications.

"They are puppets." Shino finally said. Naruto looked at him in slight surprise, forgetting he was there. Then he thought about what he said.

"Wait…the things you were chasing? The things that have been kidnapping people? They're _puppets_?" Naruto screeched.

Kiba shushed him. "Kami, not so loud, idiot! We are only telling you since you pretty much know everything else already. We debriefed with the Hokage and she told us not to give out details. But yeah, we strapped the body of that thing to Akamaru and brought it back with us as evidence."

"Okay okay, but, Kami what the fuck?" Naruto exclaimed in a harsh whisper. "So no one was there…controlling them?" The only other time Naruto had seen puppet jutsus in action was when he had seen Gaara's brother Kankuro use his puppets during the Chuunin exams. From what he knew, the puppeteer had to be present to wield the puppets.

"Not that we could see. They seemed to be moving on their own…" Kiba sighed as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Once Hinata wakes up I'm sure she'll have more intel."

Naruto tensed as his jumbled thoughts got redirected once more. "So, why is she unconscious still? What injuries did she have?" he asked slowly, bracing himself for bad news.

"When Ino got to her she saw that Hinata had collapsed from severe chakra exhaustion from overexerting her Byakugan as well as executing multiple water release jutsus. She also had quite a few scratches and bruises on her torso and limbs but luckily no open wounds. Ino was able to replenish some of Hinata's chakra reserves, but couldn't do much without harming herself. We had to carry Hinata all the way back to Konoha." Shino reported. "Her unconscious state is simply her body's own effort to replenish her chakra, and she should awaken once it starts approaching healthier levels.

Naruto listened with an unreadable expression on his face. It wasn't good, but it wasn't as bad as all the other potential scenarios floating in his head, and so he was relieved in a way.

Kiba looked at the Uzumaki out of the corner of his eye and chuckled lightly. "You and Hinata are pretty good friends now, huh? When did that happen?"

Naruto's eyes widened a bit and he coughed awkwardly. "Well uh, ever since I got back from my trip we started running into each other and have been getting to know each other more so…yeah we are friends…more than acquaintances definitely…" he rambled, avoiding the term "good friends". Did Hinata consider him a _good_ friend?

Kiba smirked and opened his mouth to say more, but Shino getting up made him pause.

"I am going to go my clan compound. It is important that we get rest as well, Kiba."

As if on cue Akamaru yawned widely, and Kiba looked down at his canine companion.

"Yeah, you're right. Akamaru definitely needs some food and a bath."

Naruto snorted as he also rose to his feet. "Akamaru looks fine to me. I think it is you who needs the bath, mutt."

Kiba glared back. "Tch, you're lucky I'm drained right now otherwise your face would be in the dirt."

"Would still look better than you." Naruto responded with a grin. With a laugh he bounded away as Kiba shouted curses at him. Before he left Naruto paused from his spot on one of the tree branches overhead.

"Oh yeah, awesome job you guys!" Naruto called down to them, holding a thumbs up. Kiba blinked and crossed his arms with a humph.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Kiba said with an eye roll, although a pleased smirk crept unbidden onto his face. Shino nodded slightly at Naruto's praise.

After leaving Kiba and Shino, Naruto resigned himself to continuing his original plans as he couldn't go see Hinata in the hospital, which consisted of going home and showering. As he searched for new clothes to put on after his shower, he caught sight of the blue shirt he bought with Hinata on his birthday, and his thoughts spiraled from there as he fingered the soft linen.

He felt a pang in his chest thinking about tiny Hinata laying in a hospital bed, wrapped in bandages and unconscious.

She made her own decision to pursue that puppet. She is a kunoichi. Kunoichi get hurt.

But how could he just brush it off like that? Hinata is so nice and kind, but more importantly she has been nice and kind to _him_. They've hung out together. She's made him pancakes. They went to the beach. They sparred. She helped him discover a new amazing jutsu for Kami's sake.

She wasn't just any friend. She was…she was…

She was _Hinata_.

After donning a white tee shirt and jeans he threw himself at repetitive tasks to try and take his mind off her.

He cleaned his apartment from top to bottom, somehow finding satisfaction in the activity that usually was at the top of his most hated activities list, next to doing groceries and laundry.

Then he went through the arts fund calculations that Shikamaru had written out and organized the folder of budget reports so that he would be ready to show Tsunade. He never really planned what he was going to say in most situations, but this was something he didn't want to fuck up. Tsunade may be drunk for most of the day but she still managed to stay shrewd – she would question him and he had to be ready with the facts, otherwise it would be a no go.

After that it reached early evening and he figured he could get dinner. So it was back to Ichiraku's for a few bowls of miso ramen.

On his third bowl, Naruto heard a feminine squeal behind him and glanced over his shoulder to watch a woman racing into the arms of a man who looked to be her boyfriend or husband. The man swung her around with a laugh and picked her up off her feet into a hug just as Naruto had hugged Hinata after she had given him her gift.

Naruto watched the scene with wide eyes and turned slowly back to look down at his half-finished ramen. And he reached a decision.

" _No_." he growled under his breath. After flinging some coins onto the counter he jumped off his chair and began to jog towards the hospital.

The street lamps were already blinking to life as the pink sky overhead transitioned to navy blue. Naruto weaving in and out of the crowds, focusing on his path forward, when his eyes caught a flash of blonde hair to his left.

It was Ino. She was standing outside her family's flower shop and locking up the front entrance. They made eye contact at the same time.

"Hey, Naruto!" Ino gave him a half-smile. Naruto tipped his head in her direction and slowed to a stop.

"Hey Ino! I heard about your mission. Are you alright?"

Ino chuckled and sighed, and Naruto could see the fatigue in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay, thanks for asking. I wasn't expecting it to get that rough, but it all worked out in the end, I guess."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…I heard you did a great job treating Hinata."

Ino brightened a bit. "Thanks! I'm just so glad I got there when I did. It was scary, seeing Hinata look…lifeless…like that." she murmured, looking down at the ground.

Naruto grimaced a bit. "Yeah, Shino said it was chakra exhaustion, right?"

Ino looked back up at him, and Naruto frowned at the uncertainty in her eyes. "Yes, her chakra levels were very low, and she was a bit banged up…"

Naruto cocked his head. "…But?"

Ino looked at him and bit her lip in hesitation. "I don't know…there was like, this weird bright light in the chamber where I found Hinata. It was actually what led me to her through that crazy maze of corridors. It was gone when I got to her but, it had given me a strange feeling. I felt a weird sort of energy in the room…"

Naruto scratched behind his head. "And you think it might have affected Hinata?"

Ino sighed and shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I didn't get to really look around once I realized Hinata needed my help. It may have just been remnants of their fight or something…"

Ino paused as she held a hand over her mouth and yawned. "Ah…sorry, I'm just so tired. All I want to do is go home but my parents needed me to close up the shop today for whatever dumb reason." she grumbled.

Naruto didn't really know what to make of Ino's story, but at the mention of her shop he paused. Flowers!

"Oh, actually Ino, are you closed already? Do you think I could grab some flowers really quick?"

Ino looked at him lethargically. "Oh…I don't know Naruto, I literally just closed up. Why do you need them now?"

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, trying to stay casual. "I wanted some since I'm going to go visit Hinata in the hospital right now. I -"

He was cut off by a loud squeal from Ino. "Ohhh, for Hinata? Of course just wait a sec!" she said with a big grin, all tiredness erased from her face.

Naruto sweatdropped a bit as Ino ran to the flower shop entrance and unlocked the door with bravado.

"Please, step right in to Konoha's Number One Flower Shop: Yamanaka Flowers!" Ino chirped cheerfully. Naruto sighed, wondering if this was a bad idea, and trudged after his fellow blonde.

Ino bustled around and began to shove different arrangements into his face, chattering about _this_ flower's meaning and the pairing of _those_ particular shades, and on, and on. Naruto rubbed the back of his head feeling overwhelmed and was just about to tell Ino nevermind when his eyes were drawn to a particular bunch of flowers behind the checkout counter.

"Hey, Ino, do you think I could look at those?" Naruto asked, interrupting Ino's stream of words. Ino blinked as she looked at the flowers in question.

"Sunflowers? Um sure…" She reached over a bit reluctantly and handed a small bouquet of three sunflowers to him. "I was kind of thinking these orchids would be great, or these tulips here…"

But Naruto looked at the sunny, bright flowers in his hand and knew they were it. They made him want to smile. Like Hinata does.

A little while later, Naruto entered the hospital holding the bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. He began to make his way to reception, but paused as he overheard a conversation between the receptionist and a group of visitors crowded around her desk.

"I'm sorry everyone, but visiting hours end in a few minutes and we are no longer allowing any more people to visit patients for the rest of the day. You are welcome to come back tomorrow morning."

Naruto froze and immediately hid the bouquet of flowers behind his back. He hesitated as he tried to think of what to do, when he saw the perturbed visitors crowd around the receptionist's desk and begin to protest. He quickly took the opportunity and crouched low as he shuffled past reception and took off towards the stairs before anyone could see.

His smirk of victory faded as quickly as it came as he got closer to Hinata's room. He began to quickly scan his appearance and ran a hand through his hair and suddenly wondered if this was a good idea. What would they talk about? How would he present the flowers? What if she was still sleeping? Maybe he should just let her rest.

He fought internally with himself as he stood outside of her room, not picking up the sound of footsteps within.

He jumped slightly as the door suddenly opened to reveal Hyuuga Neji, who stood there looking back at him in slight curiosity.

"Good evening, Naruto." Neji intoned, not moving from the doorway. Naruto threw his free hand behind his head and chuckled awkwardly.

"Hey, Neji! How are you? Were you just visiting Hinata?" Naruto immediately cringed. _Obviously_ that was what Neji was doing.

Neji raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, I wanted to come by briefly to see how she is doing. She is still unconscious, but stable." he added, anticipating Naruto's next question.

Naruto nodded gratefully at this piece of news but felt disappointed upon hearing that he wouldn't be able to speak with Hinata. He unknowingly let the hand holding the sunflowers fall from behind his back, and Neji stared at the small gift.

"I take it you are here to visit as well?" Neji offered with a small smile. Naruto blinked and glanced at his flowers.

"Oh, ha ha…yeah I thought maybe I would but…if she's sleeping then I don't want to bother her…"

He stared in surprise as Neji stepped to the side. "Visiting hours are ending now, but I'd prefer if someone was in the room with Hinata-sama for a bit longer. I will tell the nurses not to disturb her on my way out. Just don't be too…loud…" the tall Hyuuga said, his smile growing by a fraction.

Naruto was shocked at Neji's sudden kindness. While he and the Jonin Hyuuga had no qualms with each other, he wouldn't really call Neji a "friendly guy".

"Wow, thanks Neji! I promise I won't bother her."

Neji just nodded and moved out of the way as Naruto stepped inside, giving Neji one last nod of thanks before softly closing the door behind him.

Naruto took a breath before turning and walking into the room. There was a curtain pulled halfway around Hinata's bed, and Naruto apprehensively pulled it aside.

 _Oh…_

Naruto felt his stomach drop as he beheld Hinata. The first thing that grabbed his attention was that there were bandages wrapped around her head from her eyebrows to the bridge of her nose, completely covering her eyes. That held his gaze for a while before he looked over the rest of her. She was wearing the standard teal short-sleeved hospital gown that revealed some noticeable bruises around her collarbone and lower arms, but otherwise the rest of her body was covered by a white blanket. Finally, he could see an intravenous tube had been inserted into a vein in her right hand.

Naruto stood there clutching his flowers as his wide eyes flitted over the petite woman over and over. A few minutes passed before he dared to make a move and he crept around her bed, taking his eyes away from her only to glance at the label on the IV bag and wishing he understood the medical vocabulary.

All in all it was far from the worst he's seen. But his stomach wouldn't stop roiling at the sight of how fragile Hinata looked. Was this really the same girl who one-upped him multiple times in a spar?

His knees feeling weak, he finally let himself tiptoe to the chair placed at her bedside and gingerly sat down, completely determined to make good on his promise and not disturb her. He was hyper aware of his heavy breathing and sought to take comfort in the sight of her chest steadily rising and falling, confirming that she was sleeping soundly.

He gripped the flowers tightly as a wave of anger rushed through him at the thought of those _things_ hurting Hinata. _If I were there, I wouldn't have let that happen to you._

He drew a shaky sigh and finally set the flowers on the night table next to Hinata's bed, a mistake as now he couldn't stop wringing his hands in anxiety while he just stared at the Hyuuga heiress. He felt useless just sitting and watching her lay there.

His eyes caught sight of a piece of hair that draped over her forehead and over Hinata's covered left eye. Naruto looked at it for a moment and wrestled internally with himself. He finally reached out hesitantly and carefully pushed it out of Hinata's face. He jerked back into his seat and watched the indigo-haired girl apprehensively, but she made no indication of being awake.

He fidgeted in his seat, wanting to do more. His restless eyes came to a pause on the hand closest to him. Glancing at the unconscious girl nervously, he slowly reached over and lightly brushed the top of her hand with his fingertips.

Her hand was freezing. Naruto gasped softly in surprise and gently slipped his hand around hers without a second thought. He began to lightly massage her fingers and palm, using his other hand so he could warm both sides at once. He worked on his task single-mindedly, carefully kneading, working his way to her wrist, and back again to her fingertips. He handled her with the utmost care, relishing the skin-to-skin contact that he had secretly missed ever since their spar. More than once he compared the size and shape of her hands to his. Her fingers were slender and elegant, making his seem big and clumsy. Tracing the lines on her palm, he decided her hands were beautiful, just like the rest of her. He never thought he would be a hands guy, but Hinata was starting to make him realize a lot of things lately.

He heard himself murmur barely above a whisper. "I can't get you out of my head."

Pressing her hand between his, he felt satisfied with the warm feel of her skin, and he raised part of her blanket so that he could tuck her arm securely under the covers.

He puffed out his chest at his accomplishment and looked back up at Hinata's face, smiling ruefully as he accepted that was all he could do at the moment. He rose from his chair in preparation to leave and glanced at the sunflowers he left on the night table, humming in thought as he realized they needed a vase. He looked around the room, having been in the hospital enough times to know they usually had spare vases in the rooms, and sure enough spotted one by the sink in the corner.

He grabbed the flowers and walked over to it, wrinkling his nose slightly at the vase's cheap plastic, but it would have to do. He filled it up halfway from the sink and carefully unwrapped the sunflowers before dropping them into the vase.

He then made his way with the vase to Hinata's night table and carefully set it down with a soft _thunk_.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Hinata jerked upright with a ragged gasp.

"Ah!" he yelped in absolute surprise. In his shock his arm knocked the vase clean off the night table, and it landed on the floor with a hollow clunk, tossing the water and the flowers all over the floor. Naruto stepped back in alarm and slipped on the water, causing him to fall painfully on his butt bone.

But he hardly felt the pain as he gaped at Hinata sitting up in her bed breathing heavily. At the sound of his fall she had whipped her head in his direction.

"W-who is there?" she breathed in a shaky voice. With trembling hands she felt the bandages around her eyes, and then the IV on her hand. Breathing harder, she began to tug at her IV in distress.

Naruto finally found his voice. "Hey…hey Hinata! Don't do that, it needs to stay in…Hinata!" He leaped to the side of her bed, catching her fumbling hands with his own.

Hinata struggled weakly in his grasp. "N-no…stop…"

"Relax Hinata, it's me…Naruto…Naruto…" he said in a soft voice so he didn't scare her, letting go of one of her hands so he could rub her arm in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.

Hinata's breathing began to slow as she slowly picked up her head in his general direction.

"…Naruto-kun?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at how cute she sounded. "Yeah, it's me…" His smile faltered as Hinata suddenly flinched in pain and held a hand to her ribcage.

"Here, lean back Hinata, you shouldn't be up…" He helped her ease back and fussed over her pillows to improve the support. Hinata reached up to feel her bandaged eyes once more.

"Is this…the hospital?" she said, her voice whispery from lack of use.

Naruto nodded, and then spoke as he forgot she couldn't see. "Yeah, you're in the hospital in Konoha now. You are safe." he confirmed.

Hinata slowly nodded once at that statement. "My team…"

Naruto smiled at her concern. "They're fine, they are all home safe and sound. You guys arrived really early this morning and you've been in the hospital ever since. How do you feel?"

Hinata lowered her hand from her face and shifted a bit in the bed. "Mmm…sore…"

"Sore huh? Ah I should get a nurse! I'll be right back-" He stopped when he felt a hand grip the edge of his sleeve.

"No, I'm fine, please don't go…maybe just some water?"

 _Please don't go._ Naruto felt his chest tighten at her soft plea. There was no way in hell he could deny her anything with that voice.

"Of course."

He hurried to the sink and grabbed a plastic cup from the stack next to the faucet before filling it from the secondary tap that was meant for drinking water. He rushed back to her bedside and carefully sat down so he didn't jostle her too much.

Naruto slipped a hand behind her back to help her sit up again. "Here… I got it." he murmured as he held the cup to her lips. Hinata held the cup with him and he watched as she drank thirstily, finishing the cup quickly.

"More?"

Hinata exhaled slowly and Naruto helped her lean back again. "No…thank you."

He set down the cup and turned back as Hinata caught her breath again, the simple motion of sitting up exhausting her.

"Naruto-kun…it was them…the kidnappers." she said softly, turning her head towards him. Naruto smiled grimly.

"Yeah, I heard what happened from your team. Hinata…" he smiled wider. "You got it. You caught one of the puppets. We have more evidence now."

Hinata was quiet as she processed his words.

"Puppets?"

Naruto scooched closer in his excitement. "Yeah. Those things that have been kidnapping people, and who stole that scroll in Nobu – they are puppets."

Hinata's brows furrowed. "That explains it maybe…"

Naruto blinked. "Explains what?"

"Why my fan attacks didn't work."

Naruto frowned slightly. "Kiba told me the puppet was nearly cut in half when they found both of you."

Hinata inclined her head slightly. "Yes, I threw my fan at it…but it was still able to move even after that."

Naruto cocked his head. "So how did you kill it?"

Hinata was quiet for a while. Naruto nearly thought she drifted back to sleep again when she spoke.

"I don't know…if you'll believe me." she said, her lips twitching into a faint smile.

Naruto looked at her curiously and smiled back. "Try me."

Hinata was still for a moment before she nodded. "After hitting it with the fan, the…puppet… got back up and began to prepare another attack. I was leaning against a wall and I started to use water release to create a defense jutsu. And…as I created the jutsu, the wall behind me lit up in a bright light. It was so bright, all I could see was white. The light is what forced the puppet back. It…overwhelmed it somehow…"

Naruto's face had fallen into a deep frown. "Ino… she said she saw a bright light when she was trying to reach you in the ruins."

Hinata nodded. "Yes…the light flooded the entire chamber…and…I think I fainted from it. And…I saw these strange…visions…except they weren't visions, I felt like I was _there_." Hinata struggled to verbalize her experience.

Naruto gazed at her in trepidation. "Okay…what was it that you saw?"

Hinata shifted restlessly in her bed. "I…I'm having trouble remembering all of it right now…but I remember seeing this very old man before me, with horns on his head…and he called me, the 'Byakugan Princess'…and then I was in a big battlefield, and there were two armies attacking each other…and…"

Hinata began to clench her sheets in her hands. "One army had a weapon…I heard it being called the 'Tenseigan'…it was enormous, and with one strike it obliterated the entire opposing army…everyone was dead in seconds…"

She trailed off, her lip quivering. Naruto's brows furrowed and he tentatively laid a hand on one of hers.

"Hey…hey don't worry about it right now… you've been through a lot Hinata, let yourself rest."

Hinata stilled at his touch. "You…believe me?"

Naruto chuckled lightly. "Course I do. Honestly with how this whole thing has been going, I've decided to just assume anything is possible at this point. Besides…I know you wouldn't lie about something like this."

Hinata smiled a little more before frowning slightly. "I wonder what the Hokage will say. I guess it was pretty stupid to just go after the puppets like that. I broke protocol…" she trailed off with a nervous chuckle.

"Eh, maybe a little out of order but…I would have done the same thing…" Naruto said with a laugh. "Plus, I wouldn't expect anything less from a kickass ninja." he added with a foxy grin.

Hinata gasped softly and turned her head away from him as she blushed while Naruto snickered good-naturedly.

Naruto looked her over. "How do your eyes feel?"

Hinata turned back and gently felt her face. "Oh…they feel okay, thank you. Just a bit of a headache…nothing I'm not used to already."

Naruto searched her face. "So this uh, happens a lot? With your Byakugan?" He just wanted to know when he could see her eyes again.

Hinata smiled lightly. "Oh yes…more times than I could ever count. My father put both Hanabi and I through very rigorous training when we were younger, and it often led to Byakugan overusage. They would bandage our eyes just like this. It doesn't last long…the pressure from the bandages kind of helps, and they block the light from my eyes since they are sensitive right now."

Naruto nodded more to himself. "That's good…" he murmured.

He leaned back slightly and heard his sneakers squeak against the wet floor. "Ah… I should clean up this mess I made."

Hinata looked his way as she felt the warmth of his hand disappear. Her heart swelled at the thought of Naruto coming to visit her in the hospital. She was both embarrassed and delighted to receive such attention from him, and she inhaled deeply to try and catch his musky scent that occasionally drifted by her as he moved around.

"Thank you for coming to see me."

And with that, he knew he had made the right decision in coming. Naruto looked up from the floor where he was mopping up the water with some paper towels and chuckled softly.

"Of course Hinata, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't come see how you were doing."

He smiled at the sound of her quiet laugh and finished wiping up the floor before picking up the flowers and the vase. He walked over to the sink to refill the vase. As he turned back he remembered something with a jolt.

"Oh, Hinata! I started practicing with the jutsu scroll you gave me and it's amazing! You should have seen the look on Jiraiya's face as he read the scroll, he was really impressed by it! It's definitely possible to do, it's just a matter of actually doing it."

Hinata listened with her lips slightly parted in surprise, but they soon curved into a smile. "I'm really glad to hear that, Naruto-kun. I'm sorry I may not be able to train with you for another few days…"

Naruto smiled back. "Don't worry about it Hinata. As long as you don't forget, I'm alright with waiting a bit longer. It's going to take a little while anyway. I need to really increase my stamina to be able to generate a Rasengan that can be thrown, but I can do it!"

Hinata's smile grew by a fraction. "I know you can do it. You will have to…if you want to be as kickass as me…" she ended with a soft giggle.

Naruto stared at her in surprise before he burst out laughing. _There she goes again, surprising the shit out of me._ _Even from a hospital bed._

He set the vase down on the night table and plunked into the chair. "Man, I think I created a monster. You sound nearly as cocky as I am!" he smirked hugely. "Although I suppose you have reason to be, _Sensei_."

And maybe it was the fact that she was still quite tired from her ordeal, or that she was blindfolded and didn't have to look Naruto in the eyes, but Hinata felt bold.

"I think I've just been spending too much time around you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto blinked and grinned viciously. "Pah! Don't gimme that, Hinata. You _like_ spending time with me."

His eyes glittered as he waited for her reaction

Hinata's full lips pulled into a genuine smile. "I do. You are a good friend, Naruto-kun." she admitted in a small but clear voice.

Naruto's torso quaked with giddy tingles, and he was thankful Hinata couldn't see the redness traveling from his collarbone to his cheekbones.

"Well…we are good friends, are we not?" he asked finally, wringing his hands as he tried to sound confident while waves of vulnerability crashed beneath his skin.

Hinata turned her head towards him, and somehow he felt she could see him. He smiled with relief when she nodded.

 _Good friends! We are good friends!_

While Naruto was overcome with that thought, Hinata caught a whiff of perfume that stood out from Naruto's scent and the chemical scent of the hospital. She turned her head towards it and sniffed a bit more.

Naruto noticed and flushed as he glanced at his flowers. "Oh uh, I brought you some…flowers…But I didn't realize you wouldn't be able to see them so…" he trailed off with an awkward chuckle.

Hinata stilled at his words. "Flowers?" she murmured.

"Er, yeah…"

Naruto watched as Hinata slowly began to reach out to her side. Her fingers tapped against the night table, and she carefully began to inch her hand across the wood until it bumped into the vase. She slid her hand up the vase until she felt the light scratch of leaves.

Naruto chuckled lightly at her actions and reached for her hand. "Here…" He took her hand into his, minding her IV, and pulled it closer to the soft yellow petals of the sunflowers.

Hinata blushed at the physical contact but continued to feel the flower, tugging gently at the petals before feeling the large, scratchy pistil.

"Sunflowers?"

Naruto tilted his head and smiled. "Yeah, actually! How can you tell?"

Hinata chuckled. "By how they feel, of course. Only sunflowers feel like this."

"Oh…I guess so."

Hinata continued to caress the flowers. "I love them. Thank you." she whispered.

Naruto snorted. "You can't even see them."

Hinata flashed a smile as she laughed quietly. "I still love them."

Again, Naruto was glad Hinata couldn't see him and the enormous grin taking over his burning face.

"You're welcome, then."

Hinata opened her mouth presumably to say more, but gasped suddenly, yanking her hand from Naruto's to press against her bandages.

"What?" Naruto looked at her in surprise, sitting up in alarm as Hinata pressed harder into her face and hissed.

"Hinata, _what_?" he asked, his voice rising in panic.

"Ah…this happens sometimes...these little pains…it's okay, really."

Naruto frowned deeply as she rubbed at her eye sockets, her breathing slowly returning to normal. Then she cried out as a stronger pain pierced her forehead.

Naruto stood up. "I'm getting the medics, Hinata." he growled, and Hinata nodded weakly at his authoritative words.

He raced to the door. "I'll be right back!" he called before jetting out into the hallway.

"HEY! I need a medic over here! I need help!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, instantly getting the attention of the medic-nins and nurses at the opposite end of the hallway. Two of the medics jogged down the hall towards him, looking at him strangely before turning into Hinata's room.

Naruto scurried in after them and stood protectively at Hinata's bedside. One medic read over Hinata's medical file while the other asked her questions.

"Hyuuga-sama, where is the pain?"

Hinata murmured her response as she pointed to her eyes and temples.

The medic nodded. "You will experience some cranial pulsations as your kekkei genkai heals. Would you like pain medication?"

Hinata bit her lip as she deliberated, flinching as more pulsations coursed through her.

"Yes Hinata, take them." Naruto urged, cringing each time Hinata winced in pain.

At the sound of his voice Hinata's breathing calmed and she turned her head his way before finally nodding.

"Okay…yes please."

The medic nodded and went to the cabinet to retrieve a syringe and a small bottle of clear fluid. Naruto eyed the medic suspiciously as he filled the syringe with the liquid.

"Naruto-kun…I'm sorry…I will have to speak to you later." Naruto looked down at Hinata in confusion.

"Later?"

Hinata nodded slowly. "The medication…it makes me sleep."

Naruto's heart sank, but he took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, no worries. I stayed too long anyways. You should rest."

Despite her pain Hinata smiled tremulously. "I'm happy you stayed."

Naruto smiled warmly and clasped her delicate hand with both of his without a second thought. "Me too." he murmured.

"Okay, Hyuuga-sama, I will administer the medication now. Have a good rest."

Naruto watched as the medic inserted the syringe into an injection port in the IV and pushed down the plunger.

"Naruto-kun?"

His eyes flicked back to Hinata. "Yes?"

"Thank…you…"

Naruto smiled and squeezed her hand gently. "Anytime." he answered.

Naruto felt Hinata's hand go limp in his, and his breath hitched in surprise and slight panic at the dead weight. He didn't realize she would knock out that quickly. He didn't even properly say goodbye.

"I'm sorry sir, but it is well past visiting hours and only hospital staff are allowed in this room for the rest of the evening until tomorrow morning. Not even family or…significant others…can stay."

Naruto tore his eyes away from Hinata at that last statement. "Oh I'm…I'm not her boyfriend!" he said, gazing back at the Hyuuga heiress, still shaken from her sudden loss of consciousness.

The medic looked at him in slight surprise. "My apologies, it just seemed…" He shrugged and held up his hand towards the doorway as indication that Naruto should head out. Naruto let out a harsh sigh before tucking Hinata's hand back under her blanket and standing up.

"You guys are going to be watching her, right?" he asked gruffly. The medic nodded. "Of course. Hyuuga-sama has been placed on special watch since she arrived. She will be safe with us."

Naruto nodded curtly and took one last look at Hinata, trying to take comfort in the fact that she was sleeping soundly once more.

Outside the hospital, Naruto braced himself with one hand on a tree as he looked back up at the drab hospital building.

 _How could I leave her in that place?_

His fingernails dug into the tree bark.

 _My good friend._

He hung his head as his chest heaved as if he had been running for miles. He stubbornly swallowed the lump in his throat.

 _What is wrong with me?_

He looked back up into the sky, staring at the full moon that looked larger than usual, resembling the two eyes that had been hidden from him.

' _I'm…I'm not her boyfriend!'_

With a frustrated snarl, he pushed off with his feet and began to sprint home, trying to block out the memory of her cries of pain reverberating in his mind.

* * *

*Indicates that this line was taken directly from the movie _Naruto: The Last_. I do not claim any rights to this film.


	14. Chapter 14

(A/N): Just a reminder that this story is rated M, and this chapter gets a little lemony.

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN – THE HOKAGE'S REQUEST**

Tsunade yawned as she poured yet another steaming cup of "tea" while sitting at her desk in the Hokage office. _They don't pay me enough to do this_ , she thought with a sigh.

On her desk to her right were the lab reports that contained the test results of the Nobu dust samples. To her left was a letter from Ginza, one of the monks that work in the Nobu library. And to the center, there were the notes Shizune had hastily scrawled during Tsunade's mission debrief with Hyuuga Hinata earlier that morning at the hospital.

The Fifth Hokage shivered slightly as a cold draft of air breezed through the windows behind her, and she slowly rose to close the old shutters. _Winter is going to be early this year_.

She glanced up at the slightly overcast sky as she closed the windows. It was one of those days where one could see the moon even in the daytime, and Tsunade aimed her piercing honey-colored irises at Earth's distant satellite.

How distant was it really?

A knock at her door brought her back to Earth and she finally shut the windows securely.

"Enter."

Kakashi sauntered through her office doorway. "Hokage-sama." he greeted in his usual aloof tone.

"Kakashi, thank you for coming at such short notice. Please sit."

The two elite ninja took their places at the Hokage's desk. Tsunade wordlessly offered Kakashi some of her tea, which he politely accepted but left untouched in front of him. Tsunade barely noticed as she continued.

"So, just to ensure we are on the same page, I'm going to run through content I have briefly before we move on to discuss paths forward."

Tsunade placed her hand on the lab reports. "As we discussed on Monday, these are the lab results indicating that the dust-like samples that your teams found in Nobu and Bincho are identical to the moondust samples from the Suna astronomical lab." Kakashi nodded once in agreement.

Tsunade's hand moved to Ginza's letter. "This was also received later on Monday: it is a letter from Ginza, who worked with you during the mission to Nobu. We already knew that the scroll mainly provided historical information on the Otsutsuki clan, but it wasn't clear what portion of the account was stolen by the thieves. In this letter Ginza says that apparently after some research they were able to determine that the part of the scroll that was ripped off had something to do with the Otsutsuki clan that existed more than a thousand years ago. We're talking about the beginning of known shinobi history. Ginza's letter mentions a string of civil wars between the Otsutsuki main and branch families during which the branch family attempted to wipe out all shinobi on Earth due to their belief that shinobi were misusing chakra for inappropriate ends. It is possible that the piece of scroll that was taken centered around this war."

Tsunade's golden eyes shifted to the final document on her desk.

"This is the report from Team Eight's latest mission, amended with the additional information provided this morning by Hyuuga Hinata, who has awoken and was able to speak with me. Her side of the story is what made me call you here today."

Tsunade pushed the file to Kakashi, who picked it up and opened it, scanning it over briefly.

"Visions of a war... a weapon called the Tenseigan?" he queried. Tsunade nodded.

"It sounded strange at first, but I reread Ginza's letter again, and it mentions that the Otsutsuki branch family was able to decimate hundreds of thousands before the main family was able to stop them. And Hinata's team found out for us that the individuals kidnapping people in Fire Country are in fact just puppets..."

Tsunade looked at Kakashi hard. "Kakashi. The Otsutsuki were the first to employ puppet jutsus. The scroll had details on how the Otsutsuki employed entire platoons of puppets during their reign."

Kakashi looked at the Hokage with his one visible eye. "So…you think it is them, then? The Otsutsuki?"

Tsunade took a deep breath. "I don't know if it is them necessarily. Perhaps it could be some group of idiot copycats. What I know is that they were interested in a scroll that had details about a superweapon and they have been kidnapping people around Fire Country as if…as if they were…"

"Building an army?" finished Kakashi. Tsunade looked at her advisor critically.

"Exactly." she said harshly. "I will continue to have Hinata monitored. For some reason she seems to be connected to all this as well. She seems like she saw more than what she told me but she seems to have trouble remembering it all, so we could potentially gather more information from her in the future. In the meantime, I don't want to sit idly by while more people are kidnapped and these hooligans continue whatever operation they have in mind. I want to start sending out regular patrols. Guard villages that are unable to defend themselves. Apprehend more puppets, potentially find out the password for their portal seals, and figure out who is behind all this. I want to nip this in the bud before it becomes something big."

Kakashi nodded somberly. "I will create a rotation schedule so we may begin to deal out some assignments. I'd imagine we should be beefing up home security as well?"

Tsunade refilled her cup yet again. "Yes of course. I don't want to deplete our home resources too much. We haven't experienced any kidnappings here but who knows what could happen. Let's schedule an all-hands where I can give everyone the heads up first, then you can take over with the schedule."

"I understand, Hokage-sama. I will begin to assemble everyone." Kakashi nodded in conclusion before rising and poofing out of sight.

Tsunade sat back in her chair and let out a sigh, trying to find comfort in Kakashi's calm acceptance of her plan. She swiveled her tea in the little white cup and glanced out the window again, her eyes locking quickly onto the moon far up in the sky.

* * *

Hinata winced as she repositioned herself in her hospital bed for the fourth time, trying to avoid triggering the pain in her side from her bruised ribcage. After the medics had put her out after Naruto had visited her, she had awoken fairly early the next morning, prompting the nurses to set about notifying the Hokage and her family as they had been instructed to do. Within the hour, Tsunade and her assistant Shizune were in her room coaxing her to provide more details about her confrontation with the animated puppets that she fought. She was frustrated that yet again she struggled to recall everything she saw and heard in her vision, but the Hokage said it was enough for now and that she would be called in throughout the next week to be reassessed and questioned further. Now the nurses were trying to make her eat something for breakfast while they ran more tests and replaced her bandages.

"Hinata-sama, please try to finish all of your liquids. It is important to stay hydrated." said one nurse to her left. Hinata sighed and fingered the paper cup on the tray that had been placed on her lap. The drink was a special mixture that contained extra electrolytes and minerals that the hospital used for recovering patients, but it had a terrible bitter taste. She held her breath and downed the rest of the cup, quickly reaching for the other cup of orange juice to try and wash it down. She heard someone approach her from the side and sit on the edge of the bed.

"Very good miss. Now please allow me to change your head bandages."

Hinata nodded and sat still as the pressure around her head slowly diminished as the bandages were unraveled. She shut her eyelids a bit tighter as more light began to shine on her face. The nurse rose from the bed.

"Please wait one moment while I get the new bandages."

Hinata sat with her hands covering her eyes, listening to the sounds of the hospital while she waited for the nurse. Angling her head downwards away from the ceiling light, she began to crack her eyelids open just to test how sensitive she truly was. It wasn't that bad, and she found that if she used her hands to shield the worst of the light from her face, she could squint around her surroundings.

She looked at her half-eaten breakfast on her lap before moving on to the floor tiles, the curtain pulled halfway around her bed, and the wall cabinets directly in front of her. Remembering something with a jolt, she turned to her right to look at her night table, and her stomach did an excited flip-flop as she caught sight of the three sunflowers Naruto had brought her the night before.

 _So it wasn't a dream_. She thought in happiness. Naruto really did come to see her last night, bearing flowers and all! She squirmed at the thought of how he had held her hand to comfort her, and how they had even joked and laughed together. He was the absolute sweetest.

She gulped as she thought of the borderline flirtatious words that had just tumbled out of her mouth in her exhaustion. It was harmless, right? He didn't seem to take anything seriously. Naruto was the king of clowning around, so he definitely didn't take her playful wordplay too seriously she was sure.

Still, she was just so happy about the fact that he went out of his way to see her. She was sure it had been past visiting hours as well. And the flowers! Hinata sighed contentedly as she thought that somehow, she was finally beginning to connect with Naruto. Even as just friends, it was leaps and bounds beyond what they were before he had left for his long trip.

Her back ached from sitting up and she finally looked away from her flowers as she made to settle back into her pillows when she saw it.

There. In the corner.

Hinata inhaled sharply at the sight of the elderly horned man from her vision standing in the corner of her room. He was staring wordlessly at her, his eyes boring into hers.

Hinata's voice cracked as she whimpered in surprise and fear, her heartbeat revving up rapidly. She could barely get out a cry for help when the nurse finally came back into the room.

"I'm sorry for the wait, Hinata-sama….Hinata-sama!" The nurse rushed to Hinata's bedside at the sight of the terrified young woman. "What is wrong? Please, breath, breath Hinata-sama!"

Hinata tore her eyes away from the man to look at the nurse. "R-r-run!" she managed to get out before she flicked her eyes back to the corner. But the man was gone.

The nurse looked at her in concern before glancing at the corner of the room. "Hinata-sama…did you see something?"

Hinata blinked repeatedly as she stared at the blank wall in the corner.

"N-no...I'm sorry, I…must just be t-tired." she murmured. The nurse looked at her for a moment before nodding and beginning to replace the bandages around her head while she chattered about needing more rest.

Hinata tried to take deep breaths _. Another vision…_ She tried to rationalize in her mind. Still, she tried to focus despite the nurse's presence to sense for other chakras in the immediate vicinity. She couldn't feel anything strange besides those of the medics and patients in the other rooms. Shaken, she allowed the nurse to push her back into a lying position, the fresh bandages on her head providing a sense of comfort.

"Hinata-sama, based on your condition the hospital has told your father that it is safe for you to continue your recovery at home. We will be discharging you this afternoon. Does that sound alright?"

After nodding her consent, the nurse excused herself and left Hinata alone yet again. The heiress gripped her sheets, still frightened from her latest vision. _Just side-effects. They don't mean anything_.

But the roiling feeling in her stomach said otherwise.

* * *

Naruto dragged his feet as he shuffled around his kitchen to throw together some breakfast ramen. Or was it more like brunch ramen? He had overslept that morning, due to a very restless night. And who could blame him? He had had another dream about Hinata.

And it had been intense.

 _Naruto's eyelids twitched, but didn't open as he slowly became aware of his head that was pressed against something warm and cushiony. He hummed and turned his head closer to the comforting surface, beginning to notice that he felt the same sensation down his torso. His arm was draped around it, and he shifted his arm slightly._ Silky, _he thought before trying to move a bit further away._

 _He gasped roughly as strong pleasurable sensations suddenly began emanating from his cock. His eyes began to flutter open in alarm as he registered that his dick was encased in an unbelievably tight, searing hot space. Finally, his eyes focused enough to see what his head had been resting on._

 _A set of large, perfectly-shaped breasts with two rosy erect nipples._

 _Dumbstruck, Naruto reared his head back to stare openly at the magnificent globes._

" _Why did you stop, Naru?" He snapped his head up at the sound of a soft voice whispering to him and instantly felt his stomach flip flop as he took in the sight of Hinata's face mere inches from his. His chest heaved as he registered the way she was looking at him, with her hooded eyelids partially covering her violet doe eyes, a blush on her cheeks and her sexy, pouty lips slightly parted. Naruto was frozen as he watched those lips curve into a coy smile._

" _Keep going…" she murmured before she pressed herself closer to him. Immediately Naruto let out a groan as he felt his dick slide deeper into-_

" _Oh…oh Kami!" he choked as it finally came together. Those breasts, they were Hinata's, and he was on top of her, and his dick…he was…they were…_

 _Hinata suddenly wrapped a leg around his waist and gently pulled his hand by the wrist to coax him to grip her thigh. "Please Naru…I need you." she said again with a breathy sigh. Naruto blinked hard and began to jerkily shake his head._

" _I…I can't…I…" But his traitorous body didn't give him a chance to finish as his hips began to move, feeling her walls squeeze him pleasurably._

" _Oh_ fuck _!" Naruto was astounded as to how fucking good it felt. She was deliciously wet, her pussy was tight around him and practically sucking him in, and he was as hard as a brick._

 _Hinata moaned softly, and the sound aroused him to no end. "Hinata…" he said harshly, curling his hand around her thigh to get a tighter grip. He locked his gaze on her eyes, which were looking back at him with unmasked desire. He began to pump slowly, watching her hungrily as her eyes fluttered back and her luscious lips parted._

" _Oh…yes…"_

 _Naruto mumbled a string of curses as he continued to slowly grind into her, gripping her thigh while he remained propped up on his left hand. Words could not even begin to explain. It felt incredible, so much so that it was starting to bring tears to his eyes. He could go on forever. He would willingly do whatever she wants, however she wants. His eyes trailed down her body, taking in her breasts, her tiny waist, her sexy hips. He sucked in a breath as he watched his cock slide in and out of her deep pink folds, which were glistening with their mixed juices, and he moaned loudly at the lewd sight._

 _A soft giggle was heard, and he picked his head back up to look at his gorgeous lover. She was smiling up at him, a hand trailing up his left arm to feel his biceps, shoulder, and then his chest, the muscles twitching at her playful touch. Warmth began to spread through his chest and Naruto found himself smiling back, a chuckle rising from deep in his chest. He felt her hand curve around his shoulder and tug gently downwards, and he complied by coming down so that their chests were pressed together and his head was buried into her neck. He grunted at the close contact of their bodies and felt a rush of emotions overtake him. He felt so completed, so safe, so warm, so happy._

" _Naruto…" Hinata murmured in his ear. "I want more…I want it hard."_

 _Naruto shuddered as his cock throbbed at her words._

" _Of course baby." he growled passionately. He readjusted himself, sliding his hands to grip both her hips while he slightly drew up his knees to improve his mobility. He picked up his pace, bucking deep into her pussy._

" _Oh!...oh…Kami…" Hinata cried out, sliding her arms around Naruto's shoulders._

" _Kami, Hina…" Naruto groaned, feeling a major orgasm coming. Hinata turned her head to the side so that her face was pressed against Naruto's. Their panting mouths brushed against each other, and Hinata flicked her tongue into his mouth. Naruto hummed in approval and began to kiss her roughly while he felt himself swell inside her._

" _Naru…I'm gonna cum…" Hinata moaned into his mouth._

 _Naruto growled in excitement and continued to lick and suck her lips. "That's right baby, cum on me…cum all over me." Their kisses became rushed and sloppy, and Naruto's ears were filled with the sounds of Hinata's sexy mewls of pleasure and the wet, slapping sound of their fucking._

" _Oh Kami… oh_ NARUTO _!" Hinata cried, and she began to writhe and thrash underneath him. It was the last straw, and Naruto began to pound her with all he had as he drove himself to the finish line, and then-_

 _He woke up._

Needless to say, he had spent quite some time vigorously bringing himself to orgasm multiple times before he finally came down from the all-consuming horniness that the dream left him with. Afterwards he sat panting in his bed, feeling the stickiness in his hand as he stared at his ceiling.

He wished it had been real. He wished she desired him that way. He wanted her.

Despite his late rising he felt exhausted, explaining his groggy movements around his kitchen. Naruto pressed his forehead into the cool door of his fridge as he waited for the water to finish boiling and sighed for the umpteenth time that morning. Instead of fading away, his fantasies were only intensifying. How long does it take for infatuation to go away? Was he doomed to lust after Hinata forever?

His thoughts were interrupted by knocks on his door. His brows furrowed in annoyance as he made his way to his front door and unlocked it.

"Yeah?" he answered tiredly. He blinked as he took in the sight of Kakashi.

"Yo." said the silver-haired ninja, holding up a hand in cheerful greeting. "All-hands meeting in twenty minutes at the Hokage Tower. Please be on time. Goodbye!"

And with that he poofed out of sight. It was just a shadow clone. Naruto frowned as he closed the door. An impromptu all-hands? Those were usually scheduled in advance. Something must be going down. The blonde ninja pivoted on his heel to go change and scarf down his breakfast, his energy levels returning full force.

Naruto was able to make it in record time, scooting through the door to one of the Hokage's larger conference rooms just as Tsunade was beginning. The large room was still packed from wall to wall. All active Genin, Chuunin and Jonin were present. Naruto squeezed his way to where he saw Shikamaru standing by Choji and Ino. Neji, Tenten, and Lee were behind them, while Kiba and Shino were a few feet to the right. Sakura was closer to where Tsunade was, while Sai was near Captain Yamato by the window. Kakashi stood to Tsunade's right, while Shizune was to her left with TonTon in her arms.

Glancing around, he noted that Hinata was not present. Obviously she was still unwell.

"Thank you all for convening promptly. I have called you all in because there is reason to believe that a significant force of chakra-wielding individuals is carrying out activities around the country that may pose at least a Level Four threat to shinobi and non-shinobi communities."

The room filled with murmurs as the assembled ninja became noticeably anxious. Threats were measured on a scale from One to Five, One being the lowest risk and Five being the highest. Level Four threats implied that significant evacuation of civilians would be required, and were usually used to classify war-related threats.

Naruto tensed as he realized this meeting was a result of Hinata's mission. He knew that Tsunade must have talked to Hinata about her visions.

 _She must mean the 'Tenseigan'._

"Please do not be alarmed. We are just acting out of precaution while we still work to determine exactly who is committing the kidnapping and theft crimes throughout the country. We will be proactively trying to prevent further crimes by sending regular patrol teams to target cities in the region. They will be in charge of defending civilians and, if the opportunity presents itself, taking offensive measures against said criminals. We will also be increasing local defense here in Konoha. To that end, Kakashi will be sitting down with all teams today to discuss a patrol schedule that will be put into effect immediately and will continue at least for the next few weeks or until we have enough reason to cease. Please treat these missions with at minimum B-rank level confidentiality and do not share details with civilians. I do not want to incite panic. Is this understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." the audience chanted back to her. Once Tsunade rose to dismiss everyone, the buzz in the room raised considerably as the attending shinobi processed this new development.

"Attention, attention!" Kakashi said at a normal volume with one hand raised halfway in the air. Somehow, the noise died instantly.

"I would like Teams 1 through 10 to meet with me in Training Ground 5 in the next fifteen minutes, Teams 11 through 20 at fourteen hundred…" and on he went listing the appointments for Teams to receive their schedules. The chatter in the room returned to medium levels. Naruto pushed his way through the crowd to Sakura and Sai.

"Hey Sakura-chan, Sai!"

"Hey Naruto." said Sakura, turning to face him. "I wonder what is causing this kind of response from the Hokage. It must be really serious."

Naruto looked around before responding. "Yeah. I have a pretty good idea of what it is, but we can chat about it later once this meeting is over."

Sakura looked at him curiously but shrugged her consent. The team began to move out to Training Ground 5 with the rest of the teams that were asked to convene first, which basically included the entire Konoha 11, minus Hinata of course. Being ninja, they made it there fairly quickly, and surprisingly did not have to wait long for Kakashi to catch up either. They formed a semicircle around him while Kakashi set down two cardboard boxes he had been carrying.

"Alright, so the way it will go is that half of you will be stationed in Konoha while the other half will be sent out on patrol missions. Each assignment will last one week and then you will all switch. Odd numbered teams will be sent out this week, while even numbered teams will stay home. Got it? If you are an odd-numbered team, please come up to get your mission scroll. It is expected that you leave within the next 24 hours."

Kakashi opened one box that held the mission scrolls and began to deal them out. Sai went forward to collect the mission scroll for Team 7.

Sakura sighed. "Man, I was hoping to be home this week since there should be some downtime at the hospital. Guess not!"

Naruto looked at her. "Hey Sakura-chan, do you know how Hinata is doing by the way? She has been in the hospital since yesterday."

Sakura nodded. "I know, I didn't actually see her today but I happened to see that she was scheduled for discharge today when I was talking to the receptionist. So by now she has probably gone home or will be going home soon."

Naruto hummed his understanding and looked away. It was good that she was apparently good enough to go home, but now he couldn't go visit her again. He cringed internally at the thought of knocking on the front door of the Hyuuga estate only to have her father answer. Looks like it would be some time until he next saw her.

"Odd-numbered teams: all details regarding your destinations and objectives are detailed in your scrolls. I also have something else for you…"

The teams watched as Kakashi opened the second box, which was filled with more scrolls. He pulled one out and unfurled it, holding it up for all to see. There was some sort of seal, and Naruto frowned as he read the characters. It looked familiar…

"You will be using these to aid your travel. Please watch to see how it is activated."

Kakashi channeled chakra to his hand and passed it over the seal. The characters suddenly glowed a bright white light, and everyone took several steps back as something began to erupt from the scroll. Naruto's eyes widened as the ink on the paper flew off the page and began to form…

An ink bird!

"No fucking way…" he heard Kiba breathe as the enormous ink bird flew into the air and began to circle the assembled shinobi.

"Sai has been kind enough to help us develop these sealed jutsus containing his ink birds so that more teams can utilize them for long-range travel, without Sai needing to be present. The jutsus are reusable up to a certain extent – the chakra "runs out" after a while, for lack of a better word. Thus, use them sparingly. Obviously use them in your initial trip to your target city, as well as on your return to Konoha. Do not use them while on patrol, unless there is a special circumstance requiring you to travel particularly long distances, but even then I still would advise you to travel by foot."

Everyone crowded Sai and thumped him on the back to praise him for his wonderful contribution. Sai just smiled his strange smile, but it was clear that he was pleased to receive such attention.

"Sai-kun, you are amazing!" cooed Ino, pulling Sai into a tight hug.

Kiba whooped. "This is awesome! We got hot new rides! Sai you're the man!"

Naruto grinned. It was exciting to get new equipment, and something like this was game-changing. Shinobi have always had to travel by foot. It was the norm, and no one ever questioned it, but it could surely be a pain as it was very time-consuming. Now they could complete their missions even faster, and have more time to spend at home.

 _Hinata is going to love this._ he thought to himself, his smile increasing as he thought back to their joyride. Maybe if the jutsu seal is further improved he could have Sai make one for him to give to Hinata as a gift?

Kami, he couldn't believe it. A few months ago he'd be scrambling to hop on one of those bad boys himself. Now all he can think of is how to give Hinata one. He took a deep breath as he tried to bring himself back to the present. Everyone was crowding around Kakashi to obtain their ink bird scrolls. Of course, Team 7 didn't need a scroll since they had Sai himself.

Sakura was reading their mission scroll. "What?! _Naruto_ is the team lead?"

Kakashi overheard and chuckled. "Yup. You guys are heading to Yasuda, and Naruto is very familiar with the area. So it makes sense for him to be leading the patrol strategy."

Naruto blinked and grinned. "Hear that, Sakura-chan? I'm in charge." he said with an evil snicker, looming over Sakura with a huge smirk.

Sakura huffed. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Just don't lead us to our deaths. And don't let it inflate your big-ass head any further."

"What was that about my big-ass head? Wow Sakura-chan how did you know, I mean you've never seen me naked…"

"NARUTO!"

The rest of the Konoha 11 looked on in surprise and amusement as they watched the outraged pink-haired kunoichi chase the giggling blond shinobi with a threatening fist raised in the air.

* * *

He had to admit, it was a beautiful day outside.

Autumn was coming into full swing with the leaves on the trees turning into a myriad of reds, oranges, and browns, making the forests look like they were catching fire across the countryside, an apt description given they were in Fire Country. There were barely any clouds in the sky, and a light cool breeze complimented the still-warm sun well.

How the world could look so beautiful when terrible things were occurring simultaneously was both confusing and humbling to him.

When did Uchiha Sasuke become so sentimental? The world may never know.

It had been over three years since he defected from the Hidden Leaf village in favor of consorting with the likes of Orochimaru to gain the power he needed to finally kill his brother, Uchiha Itachi. Only then would the bloodlust coursing through him be quelled. Only then would he feel like he could truly call himself an Uchiha, a person that is loyal to the clan, who would do anything to uphold the clan's honor. Only then he could die happy.

Or maybe not happy, more like fulfilled.

Or maybe not fulfilled, but content?

Satisfied?

Somewhat okay?

The problem was, ladies and gentlemen, that during his apprenticeship with Orochimaru, Sasuke gained more than just raw power. He gained maturity.

Sasuke started to think more strategically, more long-term. He considered all the angles of a situation. He did deep analysis. And he began to prefer planning ahead, instead of jumping for each and every desirable opportunity that happened to present itself at the time. Like randomly running off with one of the most evil and powerful shinobi in recent history just to get stronger to kill his homicidal brother.

He was more confident in his ninja abilities now, and his lifelong goal seemed a lot more realistic, like maybe it could be achieved next year instead of in five. And that realization started to make him feel restless. It was an uncomfortable feeling, the feeling of looking into the future and seeing a void of uncertainty approaching in the distance. It had been easy to go through life up to this point with a clear end goal in sight. For the first time, he began to consider the idea that just killing Itachi was not going to be enough for him.

The only thing that would make sense as a post-Itachi goal would be to reinstate his clan as the new clan head. What good would it be to regain the pride of the Uchiha only to let it die with him when he inevitably passed one day?

It sounded like a good idea, but how to get there? For a long time he had no clue. He was a traitor to Konoha. He was a missing-nin. Moreover, he was a criminal for being an accessory to Orochimaru's sinister activities. Not a great start for someone who needed the support of a strong political and social network to build back the reputation of a high-profile clan. Who needed a suitable wife so that he could obtain the strong, noble heirs to carry on the Uchiha name. Who needed money to build a nice estate to house his future descendents.

So he threw out the idea for a while and forced himself to just focus on Itachi. Without killing him, he couldn't start a clan anyways. And being under Orochimaru distracted him. The Snake Sannin was obsessed with discovering the key to immortality, and at times Sasuke would get caught in these dangerous dreams of never having to fear death. Maybe he didn't need a clan. He could be the sole Uchiha who never died. He would become invincible, having an eternity to become the strongest shinobi in the world. Konoha and all other hidden villages would tremble in fear at his name, and it wouldn't matter anymore that he had defected and committed some stupid crimes. They would all be at his mercy…

He may have continued down this spiral if it weren't for Toneri.

Toneri's plan to decimate the world's shinobi population save for his own fake-ass puppets and _followers_ (read: pseudo-zombie-like slaves) to carry out the absurd vision of a forgotten sect of a dead clan threw a wrench into his future plannings.

What was the point of being immortal and all-powerful if there were no shinobi to worship you?

What was the point of building a clan only to have all of shinobi society torn down?

How could he support a plan that would basically sentence his heirs to at best a lifetime of servitude to that skinny pale fucking alien _shithead_ who would rather steal another clan's kekkei genkai rather than build his own strength?

Phew. He really should add "anger management therapy" to his future plans.

There were many things that Orochimaru did that a younger Sasuke bent on revenge did not care about.

Kill the Third Hokage? He didn't care. He was old anyways.

Destroy all of Konoha? He didn't care. He didn't need Konoha to rebuild his clan.

But the day Orochimaru decided to "support" Toneri in order to steal the Tenseigan and carry out true world domination was the day he truly became Sasuke's enemy.

Looking at the multicolored foliage below him from his perch at the edge of a high cliff, Sasuke thought about how he used to think he was like the Earth. Just as the seasons continue to change despite the events of the human and animal worlds, so too did he continue on his path to retribution without a care for anyone and anything.

But Toneri inadvertently taught him that that wasn't true. Sasuke wasn't an inhumane object. For the first time, Sasuke realized he cared about something other than his own personal desires. He didn't want the shinobi world to be razed to the ground and controlled by some radical lunatic. He wanted a place to return to once he carried out his honorable duty. He did want to continue his life, to _build_ a life.

Deep down, his morals and ethics were still there somewhere.

And so, unbeknownst to Konoha or Toneri or even Orochimaru, a third master plan was born by the shinobi world's most unlikely ally. It was quite simple really, he was just going to beat Orochimaru at his own game. There was just one little part of it that he didn't like but had accepted was necessary…

He was going to need help.

* * *

"Enter." drawled the Fifth Hokage after hearing a few short knocks on her door. She smiled faintly when Hyuuga Hinata entered along with Hyuuga Ko, a branch family member who had been charged with monitoring the Hyuuga heiress for the majority of her life. He was holding Hinata securely by her elbow, as her eyes were still wrapped in bandages. Two nights had passed since Hinata had returned home from the hospital, and she was here for a follow-up check-in with the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama" Hinata gave a bow when Ko stationed her by the Hokage's desk.

"Hinata, thank you for coming in. Have her sit there." Tsunade nodded to Ko to help Hinata sit in a chair.

"I will be waiting outside, Hinata-sama." murmured Ko before bowing to both women and quickly exiting the office.

"So, how is your progress, Hinata? Still feeling pains with your Byakugan?" asked Tsunade as Ko closed the door behind him.

"Not as much today, Hokage-sama, thank you for asking. I think I will take off the bandages tomorrow." said Hinata in her polite, soft-spoken voice.

"That's good to hear. And how about your memory? Do you remember anything new from your ordeal that you would like to share?"

Hinata hummed. "My memory is…still a bit blurry in some parts. The parts of my vision that I already told you about I can still remember quite vividly, but, I know there are some gaps that are still somewhat evading me. The elderly man in the vision said other things to me besides calling me 'Byakugan Princess', but I still just can't remember. I am sorry…"

Tsunade nodded patiently. "That is fine Hinata. Your body is still recovering from the trauma you experienced and it may take some time. In the meantime, would you mind answering a couple more questions about what you had already told me?"

Hinata proceeded to answer Tsunade's questions about exactly how the elderly man looked, as well as the designs on the two military flags in the battle scene she had witnessed.

"That will be helpful for now. I will reach out to the monks in Nobu to see if they can validate that what you saw may have actually happened. In terms of next steps for you, have you already been informed by your family regarding the new patrol mission strategy we are executing this month?"

Hinata nodded. "I heard of it through my teammates. I understand they are currently assigned to perform local patrol here in Konoha for the next week, and then they will be sent to patrol in another town in Fire Country."

Tsunade hummed in confirmation. "Yes. Given the evidence we have collected from your missions to Nobu and Iroha, I want to begin a proactive approach to seeing if we could eliminate this security threat before it becomes something more. Now obviously you will not be joining this first round of patrol with your team as you are still recovering. However depending on your progress, we can see if you can join them when your week of travel arrives. How does that sound?"

Hinata was still for a moment before nodding hesitantly. "I agree with and accept this proposal, Hokage-sama. However, I must ask…what of my teaching role at the Academy?"

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, rubbing her neck in thought. "Indeed, I was just contemplating that earlier. Since you left for Iroha, Umino Iruka has been filling in for you. Of course, it isn't ideal for him as he already teaches two other classrooms as well as running the Academy administration. We can see about you teaching part-time while you are based in Konoha for your local patrol assignments, but I am unsure about you being a full-time teacher at least for the rest of this month until we make headway in this case."

Hinata nodded in understanding, but her fidgeting hands gave away her anxiety. Tsunade smiled.

"Don't worry Hinata, you will not lose your teaching role. I know Iruka wants you at the Academy, and I know it is important for you. We will work it out."

Hinata gave a small smile of appreciation. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Wonderful. Now, I do have one other unrelated question for you Hinata…" Tsunade leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. "As you know, at the end of December we will be putting on the End of Year Festival. Each year during the festival there is a dance performance in tribute to one of the five elemental chakra natures, and a ninja talented in that chakra nature is selected to do that dance."

Tsunade smiled. "This year the performance will be for the water chakra nature, and I wanted to know if you would like to perform."

Hinata's heart skipped a beat in surprise. "M-me, Hokage-sama? I…well I am honored to be offered the chance but…why me?"

Tsunade chuckled. "Well, a few weeks ago I recall having Naruto in my office yelling about how skilled you are at water manipulation. He said that apparently you are "the best water release ninja in the Leaf", his words. Since then I've been meaning to ask you if you were interested."

Hinata's lips parted in disbelief at that statement. _Naruto actually told the Hokage that I am the best water release ninja?_ She swallowed as a giddy feeling turned her stomach upside down, but her insecurities began to bubble up as well.

"I…I don't know if I am the best, Hokage-sama…I've never performed like that before…"

"I'm sure you can put on a fine performance. It's usually only fifteen to twenty minutes. I can have Shizune connect you with last year's performer who can give you some tips on how to prepare. There are some general themes that are usually followed, but otherwise you have creative freedom to make it what you want. I'm sure your clan will be happy to have you represent them in such an age-old tradition." The Hokage added with a wry smile.

Hinata straightened at that comment. The Hokage was right! If Hinata did this really well, it would only play in her favor as she continued to bargain with her father regarding her teaching role. She could prove that teaching does not hold her back from being a strong ninja, and perhaps her father would finally relent in letting her continue to pursue her own goals.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I will participate in the water dance."

* * *

Hinata sat on her bed looking carefully around her room. She had taken off her bandages to give herself some relief while she slept, and was checking to see how her eyes were faring. The low light from the lamp in the corner of her bedroom did not bother her, and she was pleased to see that her vision was no longer blurry as it had been in the hospital.

She slipped off her bed and stepped quietly to her vanity to find a hair tie. Her mind had been swimming all day after her meeting with Tsunade with thoughts of the water dance she would be performing in just a couple of months! She had to start putting a choreography together ASAP, and she had no idea where to start. She would be meeting the next day with the woman who performed the Earth dance the year before and she hoped it would help her gain some inspiration.

She found a hair tie but paused to peer at her reflection in her vanity mirror before fixing her hair. She didn't think she was ugly, but was she a great beauty like Sakura or Ino? She wouldn't go as far as to say that. She wondered about Naruto talking about her with the Hokage, and visiting her in the hospital. None of these things stood out as anything particularly romantic to the objective eye, but they were things that Naruto had never done when they were younger. But could she blame him? She would always turned into a petrified stuttering mess whenever he came near her.

Though she could safely say they were now true friends, could they potentially become something more? Maybe this water dance could be a double blessing in disguise. Not only could she impress her clan, but maybe she could impress Naruto enough to make him truly notice her!

She smiled nervously at her own reflection before proceeding to flip her head over to aid her in gathering her thick hair to the crown of her head. When her hair was securely in her grasp at the top of her head she bent back up to look in the mirror, and let out a shriek.

Through the mirror she saw the elderly horned man standing right behind her, his haunting eyes staring back at hers. In her surprise she whipped around and backed up jerkily into her vanity, causing a small commotion as the various toiletries and trinkets on the table knocked over while the heavy piece of furniture bumped loudly against the wall.

Hinata's heart was pounding a mile a minute as her eyes flitted all around her room for the man who had just been behind her a second ago. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she shakily tried to sense for chakra. She sorely wanted to activate her Byakugan but she was afraid it would still be too sensitive. Nothing appeared like someone had just broken into her room – her window, closet and bedroom door were shut closed as they always had been.

She jumped when she heard a sharp rap at her door. "Hinata-sama, is everything okay? I heard a noise."

It was just one of the branch member guards. Hinata opened her mouth a few times as she tried to rationalize her fears.

"Oh, yes yes…I'm sorry…I just dropped something and it made a loud sound. I'm fine." she finally called out.

"Hai, Hinata-sama." she listened as the guard's footsteps faded away as he continued on his nightly patrol. Slowly, she relinquished her death grip on the vanity behind her and noted how sweaty her palms were.

 _It was just a hallucination. This is just a result of the vision I had, nothing more. No one is there._ She thought desperately. She didn't bother telling the Hokage that morning about these 'vision remnants' since it hadn't happened since that first time in her hospital room. But this second appearance had her worrying.

What if it wasn't just a side-effect?


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN: THE TURNING POINT**

Three weeks had passed since the Hokage executed her new patrol strategy. Naruto, Sakura and Sai's first trip to patrol Yasuda had been uneventful. Using his memory, Naruto had led his team around the town to check on some of the sites where Pakkun's team had lost the trails of the kidnapped victims in that town in an effort to locate more portal seals. They were able to find a couple of them, but they were not successful in reopening them with the same opening jutsu Kakashi had tried in Bincho. So during the remainder of the trip, Team 7 stuck to patrolling the outer perimeters of Yasuda, randomly changing their schedule from day to night patrols.

The week after, Team 7 was on local patrol in Konoha. It was a bit boring, but at least Naruto could sleep in his own bed and eat at Ichiraku during breaks. For the most part they monitored the area around the village gate closest to the lake where Hinata often trained. On the first day, Naruto went all the way to the lake's shore before remembering that if Hinata was feeling better that she would already be traveling with Team 8 on their own patrol mission.

It irritated him that due to this patrol schedule he may not bump into her for a long time. He knew that perhaps it would be good to be away from her so that his secret desires could burn out, but there was a part of him that wasn't so sure that he wanted to lose those feelings he had. In any case, Hinata was still his friend, and he genuinely missed her!

During the next patrol rotation, news came in from Teams 2 and 4 of some clashes with the puppets in the west, and it rekindled the Leaf shinobi's resolve to remain diligent. Team 7 went back out, this time to a medium-sized village called Sakagura. The first few days were calm enough, but on the fourth night, the team ran smack dab into a unit of puppets trying to infiltrate the village, and luckily they were able to down all three puppets before they escaped. There was an issue, however. Because they were puppets, there was no way to capture one alive and force it to give information on who was ordering them to kidnap people, because, well, they couldn't talk! They simply struggled until they were destroyed. It was frustrating, but at least they could rest assured that they protected the village from further kidnappings.

Now Team 7 was flying on Sai's ink birds back to Konoha for their second week of local patrol. They had made good time due to strong air currents helping their travel, and the sky was still pink from the setting sun. Naruto watched as the Konoha sprawl, shining and twinkling in the center of the darkening landscape, came into view. Finally home.

His eyes wandered to the foliage blurring below him and naturally latched onto the wide break in the forest down and to his left. His eyes skimmed over the shimmering flat surface and registered that it was the lake, the same one that Hinata trained by.

Making this connection he gazed at it as it came closer into his range of sight. His eyes automatically began to zoom in on the lake's surface, looking just in case...

He made a noise of surprise when he did in fact see that the lake was occupied. There, in the center, someone was standing in the lake.

Excitement and curiosity grew inside of him and he quickly glanced back at Sakura and Sai, who were flying a little bit ahead of him. Since they hadn't been expected to arrive til much later in the night he figured they could get away with reporting to the Hokage in the morning.

"Yo! Let's report in tomorrow morning. I'm going to head home." he called out over the rushing wind.

Sakura and Sai swiveled to look at him. Sakura looked slightly surprised but shrugged and nodded. They were all tired and the idea of heading straight home sounded great. Plus Naruto was the team lead so what he said still goes.

Raising a hand to wave goodbye, Naruto veered to the left, pretending to head to his apartment. After peeking over his shoulder to ensure the others were out of sight, he began to double back and cruise towards the lake, descending in preparation to land.

Soon, he found a small clearing about a hundred feet from the lake where he landed safely and hopped off his ink bird. Immediately upon touching the ground he took off in an enthusiastic sprint. He hadn't seen this girl since his hospital visit and he wanted to see how she was doing. His heart was pounding from the anticipation and he tried to take deep breaths as he ran, praying the run would release his nervous energy. Kami, he was become such jitterbug around her it was shameful.

He skipped and hopped his way through the forest, relying on the waning sunlight to guide his path forward. As the lake came into view, he quickly slowed his movements. If she was training, her senses would be on high alert, and he didn't want to startle her with the sudden presence of his chakra. He stepped out onto the sandy shore of the lake and peered out at the silhouette of the Hyuuga heiress standing at the center of the lake.

* * *

 _*Four hours earlier*_

"Hinata-sama, how is Umino Iruka faring now that he is handling your class at the moment?"

Hinata slowly raised her head to make eye contact with the Hyuuga elder addressing her. "He is very busy, Hiori-sama. The additional class is taking a toll on his schedule, but he understands that I need to participate in the Hokage's patrol strategy. However, I have been able to teach during the weeks I am stationed in Konoha"

"So, from what I hear you are saying, it seems he is still able to teach the students without you, correct?"

"He is teaching them yes, but it is not ideal for him as now it takes him longer to grade assignments and give attention to each individual student."

"Well, it seems like this is a good time to look into one of the teachers we recommended to him a long time ago. As you said before, Hinata-sama, you wanted to ensure a smooth transition. What better time than now, when you are already being pulled away from the Academy?"

Hinata took a calming breath. "The Hokage has asked me to still do part-time teaching during the weeks I am stationed in Konoha. The patrol schedule will not last longer than another month at best, and Iruka is hoping for me to be full-time at the end of the year so I can prepare the students for their final exams."

"And why can't one of the other teachers help them prepare?"

"Because the students are accustomed to the unique curriculum I have put together for them and it will throw them off if a new teacher comes in with a different teaching method."

"Well of course Hinata-sama, you can just provide the curriculum to the new teacher to ensure they continue your methodology."

"With all due respect, Koro-sama, the teaching candidates submitted by the Hyuuga clan are indeed talented, but they still are known to teach using more traditional methods. As a teacher myself, I know it is hard for a given teacher to change their own teaching style, especially those who may not be open to other styles like my own, which is quite…new…"

The elders murmured their annoyance. Hinata tried to avoid fiddling with her fingers as she glanced down at her untouched cup of tea before tentatively looking at her father. He was looking at her with that same stoic face that always seemed to be waiting for her to say something that would finally please him. Hinata cringed inwardly and glanced at the clock on the wall. _Just ten more minutes of this_.

One of the oldest elders of them all coughed loudly to preface a statement. "Hiashi-sama, I don't think it makes any sense for us to wait longer for Hinata-sama to complete her teaching responsibilities. This is the best opening we have had since she began teaching, and I say we move forward with her transition before the opportunity is missed."

Hinata paled as the rest of the elders murmured their consent. This was it! This was where it all came to an end.

' _I, Hyuuga Hinata, am a kickass ninja!'_

No! She had to fight back, she had to at least try! She couldn't let them keep walking all over her! Naruto said she was kickass, so she should act like she was!

"Otou-sama, please…" The talking died down at her raised voice. Hiashi blinked at her daughter directly addressing him for the first time since the hour-long meeting began.

"I know it may seem like a small thing to switch teachers. But please trust me when I say that the students I work with are very attuned to my teaching methods and it would be harmful to their development to force them to change their learning habits so close to their final exams. Do you want the reason for the Academy's students potentially failing their exams to be that the Hyuuga heiress did not bother to complete her teaching obligations? My students' parents unfortunately will not appreciate my clan heiress duties being used as an excuse."

The room was quiet at that last comment. If there was anything that the Hyuuga elders cared about, it was what other people thought of them.

Hiashi's brows furrowed as he took in his daughter's words. Before he could speak, another elder leaned forward.

"Hiashi-sama, perhaps we should let Hinata-sama see her teaching duties through until the students take their exams. After that, she will terminate her role at the Academy, no exceptions. The year is almost over, so a few more weeks will not make much of a difference."

Hinata held her breath as Hiashi glanced down at his tea while he contemplated. He slowly, almost leisurely picked up the small cup and swilled the contents. Finally, he nodded.

"I agree. Hinata will complete her teaching role through December, and afterwards she will step down and allow another teacher to take her position."

Hinata exhaled shakily as her mixed reaction swirled uncomfortably in her stomach. She had more time, yes, but after that they were going to make her stop teaching! At least she didn't have to hear the elders complain for another couple of months. She prayed that she would find another loophole. Maybe this water dance would be a more valuable bargaining chip than she thought!

"Hinata-sama, do you have any more updates for us to hear?" asked an elder to her left.

Hinata straightened. "Yes, one additional thing. The Hokage has asked me to perform in the water dance at this year's End of Year festival. I accepted her offer. The Hokage expressed that it would be a great honor for the Hyuuga clan to have a representative participate in an age-old Konoha tradition." Although it had been a couple of weeks since the Hokage asked her to do this, this was the first chance she had to tell her father and the elders in one place.

Hiashi looked into her eyes, and Hinata forced herself to hold his gaze. "Good. I expect that you are ensuring that you will be sufficiently prepared. It would not do for you to embarrass the clan in front of the entire village."

Hinata clenched her jaw as a lump began to form in her throat, and she was barely able to swallow it down. Why couldn't he say he was happy for her? That he was proud of her? Why was he so concerned that she would just be an embarrassment?

"No, otou-sama. I will not disappoint you." she answered, her voice low with suppressed emotion.

* * *

Naruto maintained his position from the shore as he watched Hinata train. She was back to wearing her dark blue wetsuit and was standing on an earthy platform that she most likely made. From the looks of it, she was doing some sort of target practice with her fans. There was a tall pillar of earth about twenty feet in front of her, and another pillar twenty feet behind the first pillar. Hinata was flinging each fan so that it flew straight before curving around the other pillar and heading straight into the second pillar.

Or, at least it seemed like that was what she was trying to do. The fans kept seeming to run into the first pillar before they could curve away far enough, either getting lodged in the pillar or ricocheting off and into the water. After losing both fans, Hinata would skip out over the water to collect them before returning back to her platform to start all over again.

Naruto folded his arms. He wanted to say hello, but he knew most ninja did not like to get interrupted when they were training, and Hinata looked like she was deep in concentration. Maybe if she took a break soon he would go over. It was getting quite late, and soon it would be too dark for her to continue.

He watched as yet another fan got lodged into the first pillar, and Hinata went to go collect it. He frowned at the slightly aggressive manner with which she yanked the fan from the abused earth pillar and the way she practically flew to her starting point to try again. Naruto blinked as he had a brief flashback to a younger him trying in vain to throw a kunai into the center of a target, and he chuckled softly. _Getting frustrated, Hinata?_

Hinata steadied herself into her stance and threw her fan forcefully. Suddenly, he heard her cry out and clutch her side before falling to her knees, and his smile vanished. Within seconds, he was sprinting on the water straight towards her.

Hinata breathed shakily as she tried to ease herself back to her feet but inhaled sharply as a pain coursed through her ribcage, a remnant of her injuries she obtained in Iroha. Suddenly she tensed as she felt a chakra signature quickly approaching her, and she reflexively activated her Byakugan. Upon realizing who it was she quickly began to blush in surprise and embarrassment.

"Hinata! Are you okay?" Naruto hopped up onto her platform and fell to his knees at her side. "What's wrong, did you hurt yourself?"

His brows furrowed as Hinata angled her head away from him, and her long hair cascaded down to conceal her features. "Naruto-kun…what are you doing here?"

"I was on my way in from my mission and I saw you practicing out here, so I decided to come by…" Naruto responded, leaning forward to try and see her face. "Are you okay?" he repeated.

His frown deepened as Hinata raised a hand to her face to seemingly wipe something on her face. "Y-yeah, I'm fine…" she answered in a strange voice, one that was thicker, deeper than her usual voice.

Naruto stared at her. "Hinata, look at me."

Hinata slowly turned to glance his way, and Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of Hinata's eyes, which he hadn't seen since his birthday. But instead of their usual loveliness, they were marred by red, puffy eyelids that seemed to be collecting moisture in the creases. Hinata's mouth quivered as she tried to pull it into an apologetic smile.

"Oh Hinata…" Naruto's voice lowered to a whisper as his cerulean eyes stared deep into her watery ones. "What's wrong? Are you in pain? I can take you to the hospital!"

Hinata shook her head quickly. "No no, it's fine really, it's not that bad…I'm sorry, I'm okay, really. But thank you."

Naruto looked at her in helpless worry. He had seen Sakura and Ino cry in the past, and when they did it was usually a big dramatic show complete with loud sobs and whiny voices. But Hinata crying was…somehow worse. He could see her holding it in, trying to be quiet, trying to hide it, and his heart just cracked at the sight of her trembling form. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong? Why are you upset?"

Hinata flushed a bit from his hand before sighing and looking out at the pillars in front of her. "Nothing…I just have been trying to do this one thing for a while and…I can't do it."

Naruto scoffed. "Can't do it? Not sure if I believe that." he said with a small smile, shaking her gently with the hand on her shoulder. "I've been watching you. It looks like you're really close, Hinata, maybe just a few more tries and you'll get it!"

Hinata's eyes watered a bit more. "But…I've b-been trying for so l-long…" she whispered, and for some reason Naruto felt that she was talking about more than just this training exercise. He shuffled a bit closer to her on his knees.

"How about I help you, huh?" he murmured. "We can try until you get it, just like with Konohamaru and the waves." Hinata almost smiled but instead looked at the ground.

"I don't know…I don't think it will happen, at least not today."

Naruto nudged her stubbornly. "Aw come on…you're kickass, remember?" Hinata closed her tired eyes.

"Not everyone thinks I am." she murmured with an uncharacteristic bitterness that made Naruto raise his eyebrows. _Huh…so that's it then._

"Well, fuck whoever doesn't think you are!" Hinata jumped slightly at his raised voice. "They're idiots, plain and simple." Naruto vented, looking into her wide, lavender eyes as if he were challenging her to say otherwise. He held her gaze for a moment while he thought of something, and, after coming to a conclusion, his eyes sparkled with resolve.

"Come on, tell you what. I'll make you a little wager. I bet that I can get you to get a perfect throw in five attempts or less. If you don't, then I'll buy you some ramen. If you do, then you have to buy me some ramen."

Hinata cracked a weak smile. "It doesn't sound like you lose either way." Naruto grinned. "Yes I do. In one case I pay, in the other I don't." he replied with a smirk.

Hinata huffed, but Naruto could tell he was close. "Come on, _Konohamaru-kun_ …stand back up." he crooned, chuckling when Hinata unbiddingly let out a soft giggle. She glanced at him with a pleading look, but Naruto remained steadfast.

"Do it for me?" he asked with a playful smile. Hinata blinked at that and looked at him. Without knowing it, Naruto had tugged on her heartstrings with that one. Finally, she looked away and gave a few curt nods.

Naruto grinned widely in his victory. "Now we're talking!" He moved to kneel in front of her to support her by grasping her forearms.

"Ready?" Hinata sighed but nodded again, and they slowly rose together. Naruto held onto her while Hinata took a few deep breaths to ensure that the pain in her ribs was gone before she nodded for him to let go. Hinata wiped her eyes one last time while Naruto began to stretch his limbs.

"Alrighty then, so tell me what the goal is." he said is his usual cheerful way. Hinata raised a hand to point at the pillars in front of her.

"I am trying to learn how to throw my fans in a way so that they can curve around the first pillar and hit the second pillar somewhere on that target I put up. The point is so that during battle, I could still attack my enemy even if there is something blocking me from performing a more direct attack. Like trees in a forest."

Naruto nodded, fully in training mode. "Gotcha. And so what do you need to do in order to make that happen?" Forcing the person to verbalize what they need to do was one way Jiraiya helped him figure out some of his own mental blocks.

Hinata held up her remaining fan. "So it's like throwing the fan how I always do, but there is something different in the way I need to flick my wrist before letting go. If I release it at this angle…" she tilted the fan horizontally. "It will just fly straight. I'm still trying to figure out the exact angle, but it looks like this one works the best so far if I put enough force…" Naruto watched as she demonstrated the required wrist movement for him.

"Okay cool, so it looks like you have a pretty good idea already. So what's going wrong?"

Hinata frowned. "I don't know, it's just, every time I throw it it's always off. A little too high, too low, too much to the left, or the right…I can't find the sweet spot."

Naruto rubbed his chin. "Okay, so how about you just take a few deep breaths, shake out your nerves, and go for it again then?"

Hinata looked at him attentively before nodding in agreement. Naruto smiled at the way she just deferred to his judgment without questioning him. It made him feel important.

Hinata took a deep, calming breath and began to make the motion of swinging her fan without letting go, getting herself in the zone.

"Alright! Attempt one out of five!" declared Naruto with a grin. Hinata nodded more to herself before settling in her stance.

A few seconds passed, and she flung her fan, the fan zooming off with a loud buzzing sound. The two ninja watched the fan glide towards the first pillar. Naruto held his breath as the fan began to tilt away, but it wasn't fast enough, and it clanged into the pillar before it could begin its arc.

Hinata frowned deeply and folded her arms in annoyance. "You see now?" she said with a loud sigh. But Naruto wasn't discouraged.

"Okay, don't worry – you're so close Hinata, I can tell! I think that time it was a bit too much force, so the fan didn't have a chance to curve away before it reached the pillar. So maybe just go a little easier on it next time."

Hinata listened to his words before nodding. "Yeah…okay." She began to step out to retrieve her fans when she felt Naruto grab her arm.

"No, I'll do it!" he said with a smile. He made a hand seal and summoned two clones, which promptly sprinted out to pick up the fallen fans floating in the water. Hinata raised an eyebrow in slight amusement, and Naruto grinned and shrugged. "The perks of having Uzumaki Naruto as your friend." he said with a smug wink, causing Hinata to giggle and shake her head.

The clones returned and handed the fans back to Hinata before poofing out of sight.

"Attempt two!" cheered Naruto. Hinata squinted at the pillar. _Not too hard…_

She threw the fan. It shot out and began to curve a bit sooner than the last one had. Hinata gasped as it zipped perfectly around the pillar and continued to the second one.

"Yeah!" Naruto pumped a first into the air and held it there in anticipation as the fan advanced, but it fell to grip his hair once the fan veered a little too far left and missed the second pillar.

"Ooooh, Hinata, that was SO CLOSE!" Naruto yelled, grabbing Hinata by the shoulders and shaking her back and forth with glee. "You literally almost had it!" Hinata giggled with the exhilaration of nearly succeeding (and Naruto's closeness). She pushed away from the hyperactive ninja.

"I know, I know." she breathed, and Naruto grinned as he heard the hope in her tone. "I'll go again!"

"That's the spirit! Come on, lucky number three!" Naruto goaded her on. Hinata took a deep breath and bent fluidly into her stance. A pause, and then she threw her second fan.

It was going well, it seemed to be curving away on time until the fan nicked the side of the pillar and careened off to the right. Hinata let out a disappointed moan and Naruto chuckled while rubbing his head.

"Okay, I guess we both let our excitement get the best of us there. Keep going Hinata, you are close just stay focused."

Hinata sighed. "Well, at least I know you'll be buying me ramen." she said with a light laugh as two more clones ran to get her fans. Naruto narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't count on it just yet. You still have two more tries, and a lot can happen between now and then." he countered as he watched the clones hand the fans back to Hinata. He eyed her as he watched her do a few practice swings, and a hypothesis began to swirl in his head.

"Alright, number four." he announced, and Hinata huffed and glared at the pillars in front of her. This time, Naruto kept his eyes trained on Hinata as she threw the fan, and he hummed to himself in understanding. He didn't need to watch the fan to know it wasn't going to hit, because he knew what was wrong. He watched as Hinata sighed when the fan veered off course yet again.

She was thinking too much again. Just like the last time they sparred and he asked her to punch him in the face. He could see it in her eyes. She was frustrated and was over-calculating. She wasn't trusting herself, she wasn't just letting her body move. So once again, he had to snap her out of that. A devious smile spread on his face as an idea came to him. She wasn't going to like it though.

Hinata glanced at him, wondering why he was so quiet, and blinked as Naruto just nodded and smiled strangely.

"Number five." he said calmly. Hinata gazed at him in slight curiosity before rubbing her shoulder and tossing her hair back. What she didn't notice was Naruto bending into his own stance.

Naruto watched her critically as she cocked her arm back. He had to time this really well, or else it wouldn't be good for him. He gritted his teeth as she began to swing her arm forward, and seconds before she let go, he took off.

Hinata gasped as she saw the blur of black and orange blaze in front of her, and her adrenaline skyrocketed as she panicked, feeling her grip on her fan already beginning to loosen. At the last possible moment, she grunted in effort to tilt the fan a bit more before it completely left her grasp, and she cried out as the fan shot out across the lake.

Naruto had screeched to a halt in front of the first pillar and was standing there defiantly with his arms crossed.

Hinata was frozen as she watched the fan zoom towards Naruto's face. It was moving so fast there was no way, no way in hell that she would be able to intercept it.

"Naruto-kun, _move_!" she screamed.

The fan looked like it was going to shave off his scalp…until, miraculously, it tilted away. Naruto forced himself not to flinch as the burst of air from the heavily serrated fan blasted him in the face as the fan nearly grazed his forehead and curved beautifully around the pillar. The fan corrected its path once it cleared the first pillar and shot straight to the second one.

Right into the center of the target.

Naruto blinked at the sound of the fan lodging itself into the thick pillar and he twisted to peer around the first pillar. A grin began to spread on his face as he took in the sight of the fan securely embedded in the pillar, a perfect bullseye.

"Hey, hey Hinata, you did it, you- eep!" Naruto yelped when he felt a hand grip the front of his jacket and yank him roughly, forcing his head to whip back around…

And come face to face with a furious pair of active Byakugan.

Naruto gulped as he felt the fisted hand twist in his jacket and tug him down so his head arrived at Hinata-level. He watched, bewildered, as tears began to collect in the corners of her eyes despite the Byakugan remaining engaged.

" _Naruto_." Naruto flinched as he heard Hinata utter his name without an honorific for the first time. Her voice was in a deathly low whisper. " _How_ …how _could you_ …how could you do _that_ …to _me_?"

Her voice was gravely with suppressed emotion, but the tears began to spill down her face. Naruto rushed to calm her, shocked at the waves of fury rolling off her. He figured she would be mad, but she looked like she was ready to murder him! He grasped her shoulders with his hands.

"Hinata, Hinata I'm fine, see? I'm sorry, I just thought that-"

"You didn't! You _didn't think_!" Hinata shrieked, roughly shaking him using her surprisingly strong hold on his jacket. "I could have _killed you_!" she cried, her voice cracking at the end and her grip on him weakening as she became overcome with that thought. Naruto hastily rubbed her shoulders.

"But you didn't! I only did that because I knew you wouldn't!"

"How?! How could you know that?" Hinata cried angrily. Naruto managed to chuckle as he saw the worst of her fury had now given way to the kind of anger that is fueled by pure relief.

"Because I trust you, obviously." he said with a grin.

"This isn't funny, Naruto-kun! That was incredibly dangerous and I don't know what I would have done if I hurt you, and- hey!"

Hinata squealed in surprise as Naruto suddenly grabbed her by the thighs and hoisted her up before running over to the second pillar with her in his arms. He was much more comfortable with Hinata yelling at him instead of silently crying and easily ignored her protests as he whisked them over to where her fan was embedded in the pillar.

"N-Naruto-kun, I-!" Hinata made a noise of surprise and annoyance as Naruto promptly set her down on the water's surface and spun her around by her shoulders so that she was facing the pillar.

Hinata was still breathing heavily from being in her worked-up state, but her breaths began to slow as she finally stopped seeing red and studied the fan sticking out of the pillar just above her head. She slowly reached up to tug the fan from the hard-packed earth and look at it before gazing back up at the deep groove in the pillar.

She glanced at Naruto, who had his arms folded and was watching her quietly with a small smile on his face.

"Good job." he murmured, his deep blue eyes twinkling merrily.

Hinata's heart fluttered and she turned quickly to look at her fan, a tiny smile pushing its way onto her face. Naruto grinned at the sight of it and began to chuckle. Hinata tried to ignore it but couldn't help but let a few giggles escape her mouth, which only made Naruto laugh harder. Hinata hid her face with the fan as her giggles became uncontrollable and Naruto leaned against the pillar as he wheezed like a fool.

Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself. "You shouldn't be laughing, you know? You lost the bet." he snickered, grinning triumphantly.

Hinata sighed a big sigh, shaking her head for a moment before finally replying. "Yes…I am aware." Naruto chortled and wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to turn her back to him in a huff.

"I'm still mad at you." she stated stubbornly. Naruto groaned dramatically and stepped around her. "Alright alright, I know, I'm really sorry I scared you, I truly didn't mean for you to get so upset. But listen, Hinata, I wanted to make a point."

Naruto turned her gently to force her to look at him. "You are extremely talented, and strong, and capable. But you think too much." he said with a warm smile as he watched Hinata stare back at him with wide eyes. "The reason why I jumped in front of your attack was to encourage you to stop thinking and just _do what you know you have to do_. I didn't want to give you time to doubt yourself. Because look what happens when you don't!"

Hinata shyly glanced up at the hole in the pillar. "Yeah, that happens. Seriously it's super awesome that you can do that by the way, if the roles were reversed I would have definitely killed you." he chuckled.

Hinata snorted softly. Her heart swelled at his compliments, his confidence and trust in her, and inside she felt ashamed that she couldn't always see herself that way.

"I understand what you are saying, Naruto-kun, and I agree. It is true I'm…not always the most confident person. But I will do better." she murmured, looking up at him with a small smile, her pearl eyes, despite their lingering redness, captured the sparkle of the stars that were slowly blinking to life up above.

 _Kami, she's beautiful._ "Good to hear. And, if you could, I'd prefer if you were more respectful and called me Naruto-sensei…"

He laughed raucously as Hinata sucked her teeth before punching him semi-hard in the chest.

"Don't push it." she said with a glare that was watered down by the playful look that returned to her eyes. Naruto just couldn't help but notice how freaking attractive she looked when she had that expression and he had to take a deep breath to bring himself to the present. He couldn't just start randomly blushing like a weirdo.

Suddenly, Hinata felt a wave of fatigue envelop her and she instantly lost the ability to stand on the water. She cried out as she began to plunge downward and got soaked up to her thighs before Naruto swooped down to scoop her up by her underarms.

"Whoa there tiger, you okay?" Naruto's voice was edged with concern as he studied Hinata's face. Hinata's eyelids fluttered as she tried to fight the dizzy spell that had overtaken her.

"Y-yes, sorry, I just felt tired all of a sudden." Hinata tried to steady herself but just couldn't find the strength to push chakra down to her feet.

"Hold on." Hinata squeaked as Naruto easily swept her up bridal style into his arms.

"I guess that's our cue to head home, huh?" Hinata's heart pounded in her chest as she felt Naruto's strong arms holding her, pressing her against his broad chest as he began to walk to shore. A cheeky smile adorned his face which set off the butterflies in Hinata's stomach.

"N-Naruto-kun…that isn't necessary…"

Naruto chuckled with an eyebrow raised. "I think it's pretty necessary seeing as you're literally too tired to stand. How long have you been out here anyways?" he asked, an accusing tone appearing in his voice.

Hinata glanced away. "Umm…for a while…"

"What's a while?"

"Um like three hours, maybe four…"

Naruto looked at her hard. "Hinata, seriously? You were just in the hospital with your eyes covered and you were barely able to sit up." he said in irritation.

"That was three weeks ago, Naruto-kun…" Hinata responded with some amusement. "I'm much better now." She didn't mention the little fact that she has been seeing visions of an old man with horns consistently since she returned from her mission to Iroha.

Naruto humphed. "Didn't look like it earlier when I saw you fall that first time." he grumbled, eyeing her disapprovingly. "How have you been anyways? How have your patrol missions been going? And are you still able to teach?"

So Hinata filled him in on her last few weeks as they made it to shore, taking care to leave out the clan meeting issues as she just didn't have the energy to go into all that. Once Naruto's feet touched the shore, Hinata began to move in his arms to prepare to stand, but Naruto didn't let her down.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Don't worry about it."

"But, you can't carry me all the way home!"

Naruto glanced at her in amusement. "And why not?"

"I'm too heavy!"

Naruto burst out laughing. "You literally weigh like two pounds. Just relax, Hina-chan."

They were both quiet for a moment.

 _Shit, did I just say her name like that out loud?_

 _Did he just call me…Hina..._ chan _?!_

Naruto decided the best course of action was to just act like nothing happened since Hinata had yet to say anything. He tried to ignore the warmth on his forehead and cleared his throat awkwardly.

Hinata was actively trying to determine if she was dreaming. Never, ever, ever, _ever_ had Naruto added a 'chan' after her name, or shortened it, and just now he did both!

"I could walk…Naruto-kun."

Naruto jostled her lightly in his arms in slight annoyance. "No! I can sense your chakra is low. Besides, we aren't going to walk the whole way…" he added with a foxy smirk.

Hinata raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Shh. It's a surprise."

He smiled when he heard her soft giggle, and they fell into a friendly silence. The sun had long since gone down, and the forest was considerably darker than when Naruto had arrived at the lake, and he was taking great care not to trip on a tree root.

Holding Hinata's soft body in his arms had sent all his senses on overdrive. Her flowery scent was intoxicating. Her warmth sent shivers through his torso. He could feel how soft her thighs and upper arms were in his hands and he _so_ wanted to just knead her flesh with his fingers but he absolutely wouldn't do that. When Hinata finally rested her head against his chest, the urge to protect was so strong within him he had to actively make sure he didn't crush her to his body. He prayed she couldn't hear or feel his heart trying to break a hole through his chest. The darkness gave him courage and he glanced down at her face more than once, smiling when he saw her eyes droop closed for a while before snapping open again. He sorely wanted to bend his head and nuzzle her hair. It would be so easy to just lean down and kiss her…

But nope, he wouldn't. Because he was a cowardly bastard and who kisses someone out of the blue like that?

"You talk too much, you know."

Naruto nearly stopped walking in surprise. "Huh, funny since I remember not talking for at least the last ten minutes." he retorted, wondering in amusement where the hell that came from. Hinata chuckled, and he could hear the sleepiness in her voice.

"You told the Hokage that I'm the best water release ninja in the Leaf, and now she's having me perform in the water dance at the End of Year festival this year."

A grin slowly spread on his face. _So that old bat does actually listen to what I say._ "Really? So you're going to be performing?"

Hinata sighed. "Yes. All by myself. In front of pretty much the entire village."

"Wow. Never have I been more proud of my big mouth." He laughed when Hinata lightly smacked his chest, her touch sending tingles throughout his torso.

"Well, I brought it up because while I am nervous, I am grateful for the opportunity. It's not something everyone gets to do, so for that I do thank you for causing it to happen." she said sweetly. Naruto smiled down at her.

"You're very welcome. I don't know why you'd be nervous. I wasn't lying when I said you are the best water release ninja Konoha could offer. And you're so creative, I'm sure whatever you do it'll be amazing. I can't wait!" he said. "So I will happily take the credit for all of it."

They laughed softly together. Hinata was slowly being lulled to sleep by the sound of Naruto's beating heart when she saw them enter a clearing in the forest. She looked around to determine where they were, only to blink in surprise at the sight of a big ink bird waiting for them silently in the center of the small area.

She looked up at Naruto in question. "Surprise." he said with a cheesy grin, laughing at the childlike smile Hinata flashed back. Naruto walked up to the ink bird and looked down at Hinata.

"Is it okay if I drive this time?" he asked with a smirk. "I don't know if I trust your steering skills while you're in this state."

Hinata laughed softly. "That's fine. I don't trust me either." She held on while Naruto leaped up onto the back of the ink bird and carefully set Hinata down so she could straddle the bird. Once she was balanced, he turned around to sit in front of her.

"Hold onto me, okay? I don't want you to fall off."

Hinata's cheeks burned but she managed to reply. "S-sure."

She tentatively wrapped her arms around Naruto's waist and scooched closer so most of her body was pressed to his back. She prayed he couldn't feel the wild thumping of her heart.

Nothing happened for a moment, and Hinata tilted her head to look at Naruto. "Um, I'm ready."

Naruto jumped slightly. "Oh okay, yup, let's go. Hold on." He channeled a bit of chakra to activate the ink bird, which began to trot for a moment before lifting off the ground with a mighty flap of its wings. Hinata reflexively held on tighter to Naruto as they angled up into the sky, and soon they were gliding to the village.

 _Okay, just focus on driving, focus on where you are going, we are going to the Hyuuga_ compound – Naruto flinched as Hinata shifted behind him and ruined his train of thought. He was desperately trying to ignore the feeling of her breasts pressed into his back, and the way her arms felt around his waist. Having her so close was setting off these little bursts of happiness and excitement in him, and for a brief moment, he imagined what it would be like to actually be with her, officially.

Without a doubt, he was attracted to her physically. But was that all?

Naruto zoned out a bit on this line of thought until he felt a tap on his back.

"Naruto-kun, is it ok if we land there?" Hinata pointed to a small park that was a block away from the Hyuuga compound. Naruto nodded and directed the bird that way, and within a few minutes they were touching down on the grass.

Naruto quickly slid off the bird and stood to help Hinata down. She seemed to be able to stand on her own, and they stood facing each other.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun, again." Hinata murmured, looking up shyly at the blonde shinobi. "I feel like recently you've been helping me more than I have helped you."

Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Just remember I plan to collect on my free ramen."

Hinata giggled and nodded. "Yes, I promise I won't forget."

Naruto glanced at the roofs of the Hyuuga compound nearby. "You sure you'll be okay from here?"

Hinata followed his gaze. "Yes…I'll be fine." she murmured. Naruto trained his piercing blue eyes on her. Hinata looked back up at him for a moment, and suddenly advanced to embrace him, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist while her face buried into his chest.

Naruto stood there, frozen, before his expression softened and he eagerly wrapped his own arms around her upper arms, chuckling bashfully. He took the liberty of resting his face lightly on her head, and he took a greedy inhale of her addicting scent. He felt her soft body hugging him with all of her being.

 _She hugs nice,_ he thought in the back of his mind. "Remember Hinata, don't let them tell you that you aren't kickass. Anyone who does is an idiot, right?" he whispered, rubbing her back. Hinata just nodded into his jacket.

"Yeah…fuck 'em."

Naruto's eyes widened and he snorted loudly. "Oh my Kami, that was awesome." he gasped as he laughed and squeezed Hinata, whose laughs were muffled by his jacket. They finally pulled away from each other.

"Don't tell anyone I said that." Hinata whispered, beginning to turn away. Naruto grinned, loving that she was showing this side of herself around him.

"See you soon?" he called, suddenly morose that he wouldn't see her again for a while.

Hinata looked into his eyes, and he felt nervous holding her gaze. "Yes." she said softly, giving him one last smile before walking around the corner. He followed and stood on the street as he watched her walk through the Hyuuga gates. As she opened the door she paused and looked back at him, and he smiled and waved. He watched her smile and wave back before finally disappearing into her home, taking the flickers of happiness and warmth he had been feeling for the past couple of hours with her.

* * *

' _Sometimes, if you are confused about your feelings, it helps to make a list of pros and cons to help you determine if you like someone for the right reasons.'_

It was one of the last pieces of advice that Iruka had given Naruto, and he had forgotten about it up until now. He was determined to try and sort through his feelings since his brief night ride with Hinata. Now he was sitting at his table with a piece of paper and a pencil. He had drawn a line down the center of the page, with the left side titled "Sakura", and the right side titled "Hinata".

 _Sakura's pros. Well she's beautiful, she's super smart, she's an insanely strong kunoichi, and she will without a doubt be the best medic-nin Konoha has one day, she's one of my first best friends, she's my teammate, she cares about me…_

Naruto paused as he approached a mental block. _Okay I guess that covers most of it._

 _Sakura's cons. Okay she hits me way too much! And she never wants to even try to go out on a date! And we can never have real conversations without her brushing off my ideas and thoughts! And she still…_

Naruto frowned and bit his lip.

 _Still likes Sasuke…_

A small burst of anger and frustration ran through him at that thought and he decided to leave it at that.

 _Okay Hinata…_ a smile immediately made its way to his face. He literally didn't know where to start!

 _Hinata's pros…She's SO FREAKING GORGEOUS, her face, her eyes, her curves, her hair everything! I love her voice too! And she's like, so amazingly intelligent in everything she does, she's so detail-oriented and thoughtful and creative, she's an incredible teacher and wow she is perfect with kids, like she will be an amazing mother for sure. Then Kami her ninja skills are just like, wow I can't believe some of the things she's able to do, like just her water manipulation by itself is A to S-rank level easily. She has a super cool kekkei genkai and boy does she know how to use it. Then she's just so kind and sweet, she genuinely cares for everyone in her life, she goes the extra mile all the time, like making cookies for a student's birthday or…literally creating a new jutsu for me…_

He snorted in disbelief, he still couldn't get over that birthday gift.

 _Then oh! She's SO FUNNY like I'm honestly so shocked at how fucking funny she is, I love her sense of humor, how she can get all childlike and stuff it's so cute. And I like how we have so much in common…like how she went after that puppet in Iroha even though it wasn't part of the mission, just because she wanted to save a complete stranger, like Sakura-chan would_ never _do that!_

He shook his head.

 _She puts a hundred and ten percent into everything she does. She wants to get better and she wants to prove herself…_

He smiled sadly thinking of her crying out in the lake. What would have happened if he hadn't been there?

 _Hinata's always been nice to me._

That one without a doubt made him pause. Never once in his memory could he remember Hinata jeering at him and insulting him like all the other villagers did when he was a kid. However, he _did_ distinctly remember Sakura being one of those villagers until later becoming his teammate. He grunted in acknowledgment that this particular point was a major advantage over Sakura. He circled it with his pencil.

 _HOLD UP HOW DID I FORGET HER COOKING SKILLS like holy shit she would make a great wife. I mean she knows a jutsu that cleans the fucking house for Kami's sake._

He sighed. He would continue but he barely had any room left for the cons.

 _Hinata's cons…_

Naruto blinked at the page.

 _Hinata's cons…_

Oh, well there would be one thing…

 _Her lack of confidence in herself. But now I know it can't be just her fault, her stupid father and her stupid clan are making her think things and I mean if they've been like that her whole life then like it's a miracle she's gained any sort of confidence anyways! Plus it's not like her low self-confidence makes me not like her but it's definitely something I hope she'll fully get over one day because she doesn't deserve that from herself!_

He tried to think of more, Iruka had told him it was important to be as objective as possible and be honest about what he disliked, but he honest-to-Kami couldn't think of anything else.

He sighed and sat back, holding up the page to eye-level. And his stomach dropped.

Hinata's pros easily dwarfed Sakura's pros, like it wasn't even close. Meanwhile, Sakura's cons list was uncomfortably lengthy compared to Hinata's.

He frowned deeply at the page and looked back and forth between Sakura's and Hinata's pros. Surely there was something on Hinata's side that applied to Sakura too? Sakura, well, she couldn't cook for the life of her…she was kind, yes!

But would Hinata punch him like Sakura did? Definitely not. _Unless asked to,_ he thought with a smirk, thinking about their spar.

Sakura was funny too, right?

 _Ehh…in a way I suppose…_

And…wow…He without a doubt thought Sakura was beautiful, but as beautiful as Hinata?

 _No…_ he thought before he could stop himself. He hated himself for immediately comparing Hinata's chest size to Sakura's, but it couldn't be helped. He had _dreams_ about Hinata's body.

He ran an anxious hand through his hair. Even though he admitted he was not the sharpest kunai in the holster, even he could see how passionately he wrote about Hinata compared with the short bullets and lackluster adjectives he used on Sakura's side.

So was it true? Had he really spent all this time thinking he was in love with Sakura and infatuated with Hinata, when in reality it had been the other way around?

Was he falling in love with Hinata?

 _Falling in love with Hinata…_ the thought made him grin briefly before a wave of guilt smothered it as he thought of pushing out Sakura for Hinata. How could something that seems so wrong feel so right?

But the proof was there in black and white for him, and this time he could no longer ignore it, deny it, refuse it.

He was falling for Hinata.


	16. Chapter 16

(A/N): Hey all, sorry for the long wait again. Thanks for bearing with me :) Can't believe how long this story is becoming. This was originally just a bunch of unrelated scenes in my head. This whole plot was created just so I could write those scenes into existence.

Shoutout to the anonymous person who posted my 100th review! Really happy with the positive reception and reach this story has gotten.

Enjoy!

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN - THE TALK (PART I)**

Naruto laid on his back in the grass and piles of colorful leaves, staring up at the overcast sky as he panted heavily. Sweat rolled down his forehead despite the chilly weather. Eventually, his heart rate somewhat returned to normal, and he momentarily closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself. After a moment, he took a quick breath and jerked upwards with a groan, coming to sit Indian style as he gingerly rubbed his arms. He wasn't used to feeling so _tired_.

Finally, he steeled himself as he rolled onto his knees and slowly rose to his feet, shaking out his tight muscles and hopping from one foot to the other to get his blood flowing. When he was ready he summoned three clones, which poofed to life in front of him. And he started the process again.

He held out a hand and waited as one of the clones stepped forward to help him form a Rasengan. After the swirling ball of chakra was created, the other two clones stepped closer and began to manipulate wind element chakra around the Rasengan. As the mass of chakra got bigger, Naruto raised his arm above his head to keep the deadly energy away from his face, gritting his teeth as he strove to keep the jutsu in check while the clones struggled to make the wind chakra hold. Slowly, a few tentacles of chakra stuck out at different points of the ball and began to swirl with the Rasengan. The wind around Naruto and his clones began to pick up, and Naruto frowned up at the jutsu while pieces of his blond hair flicked into his face.

 _More…_ he thought with a growl as he forced more chakra into the basketball-sized ball of chakra. The clones manipulating the wind chakra picked up the pace, and the ball began to become oblong, beginning to morph slowly into a Saturn-like shape.

 _Yes!_ he thought excitedly. Then, all too soon, it went wrong. The chakra suddenly became unstable, and the clones's expressions became nervous as the ball of light began to vibrate and wobble precariously in Naruto's hand. They poofed away as the chakra burst in all directions, throwing Naruto backwards so that he fell on his back. Right where he started once again.

ANOTHER FAILURE, EH? chuckled the Kyuubi in his mind.

Naruto gritted his teeth. _Shut up…_

AND YOU STILL REFUSE TO USE MY CHAKRA?

 _NO, I don't want it! I will do this myself!_

"Ugh!" he grunted in frustration as he pounded the earth with a fist. _This is insane,_ he thought to himself in despair. _A whole month has gone by and I still can't even make one good one. Pervy Sage has all but run me into the ground to prep my body for this and it still hasn't been enough._ He didn't want to use the Kyuubi's chakra because 1) he didn't want to be dependent on it and 2) Jiraiya didn't want him to be dependent on it.

He sighed a big sigh and continued to lay on the cold ground, closing his eyes in fatigue.

"No luck again, eh?" came a deep, gravely voice from somewhere to his right. Naruto huffed and turned his head away from the voice.

He listened as the owner of the voice chuckled. "Yeah, figured this wouldn't work."

Naruto twisted back around. "What the hell do you mean? _Of course_ it can work! I'm almost there!" he shouted in anger at the Toad Sage sitting with his back against a tree a few feet away, a draft manuscript in one hand and a thermos of tea in the other.

Jiraiya just made a sound of amusement. "Heh, no it won't work. Not with the way you've been trying to do it."

Naruto sat up slowly, gaping at the old man. "The way _I've_ been doing it? _ME_? It was _YOUR_ idea to train this way from the start, or have you forgotten already you senile old man!" Naruto screeched. "It was _you_ who put me through all those stamina drills, and _you_ who said to use the clones to make the first one!"

Jiraiya took a thoughtful sip from his thermos. "Yes, I am aware. That was me testing a hypothesis. And now it is clear that the hypothesis is correct."

Naruto narrowed his deep blue eyes. "Oh really? And what hypothesis is that exactly?"

"That you won't be able to do it this way."

In the blink of an eye, Naruto shot up and dove for Jiraiya, aiming for the neck. Simultaneously, Jiraiya substituted with a log. Naruto blinked as he found his hands wrapped tightly around the log, while Jiraiya was reclining in a large tree branch about ten feet above him.

"GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Naruto bellowed in outrage. "You mean you put me through all of that KNOWING that it WOULDN'T WORK?"

"Calm down, boy. I just said I had a _hypothesis_ that it wouldn't work, meaning that I wasn't sure if it would or not. In any case, it wasn't a complete waste of time. Those drills should have prepared you well for plan B."

Naruto's huffing and puffing slowed. "Plan B?" he asked in confusion.

"Yup!" replied Jiraiya cheerfully, swinging down from his perch to land next to Naruto. "It would have been plan A, but I wasn't sure at first if you were ready at the time. You made decent progress with the drills, however, and that's caused me to change my mind…amongst other things…" Jiraiya ended with a frown.

"What other things?" Naruto asked curiously.

Jiraiya looked off into the surrounding forest with a pensive look. "Well, with the way things are looking right now, this may be the best time for you to learn a new strong jutsu, what with all these strange reports of kidnappings and a potential superweapon. Meanwhile both Orochimaru and the Akatsuki have been relatively quiet lately. All in all I have a bad feeling, like we are a bunch of sitting ducks out here…"

Naruto looked at the Toad Sage in surprise. Jiraiya always seemed to have a calm and collected air about him, but right now his expression seemed…worried.

Jiraiya finally turned back to glance at Naruto, a small smile forming on his face. "So that's why I've decided to speed up our little training program."

Naruto felt a tingle of excitement. "Okay, so what is it? What is plan B?"

Jiraiya smirked, but didn't respond. Instead he raised a thumb to his lips and bit it to cause it to bleed. He bent over and pressed his palm to the cold ground. "Kuchiyose!"

With a gigantic cloud of smoke, Naruto staggered back a bit as the enormous red toad came into view.

"Meehhhh…who disturbed me from my nap…is that you, Jiraiya?" came a booming, raspy voice. Jiraiya threw a hand behind his hand and chuckled sheepishly as the great toad peered down at him.

"Gamabunta! Nice to see ya! Apologies about the nap, I was wondering if you could do us a quick favor."

Gamabunta eyed him lazily before looking over at Naruto, who still had a lost expression on his face.

"Hm. You've gotten stronger, I see." Gamabunta remarked. Naruto blinked and puffed up his chest with a big grin.

"Yup I sure did! I've been training super hard and- mmph!" Naruto let out a muffled squawk as Jiraiya tiredly slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Gamabunta, can you take us to Mount Myoboku? I want to show the kid a few things."

Gamabunta looked at his summoner with amphibian eyes. "You're going to teach him our ways?"

"Mount Myoboku?" asked Naruto in confusion. "Where's that?"

Jiraiya smirked. "Yes, I think he's ready for the basics at least." Gamabunta looked at Naruto again and nodded slowly. He then lowed himself down on all fours, and opened his mouth wide, his tongue rolling out like a red carpet. Naruto jumped back with a squeak to avoid the huge tongue flattening him. Jiraiya clapped his hands together.

"Fantastic! After you, son!" he said with a flourish, pointing to Gamabunta's cave-like mouth.

Naruto's eyes bugged out of his head. "W-What? You can't mean… you want me to go _in th-there_?" he cried, paling as he watched huge ropes of saliva drip from the roof of the huge toad's mouth.

"Oh for crying out loud." Jiraiya huffed, and before he knew it, Naruto was being tossed inside by the scruff of his jacket.

" _W-Wait!_ " Naruto yelled before collapsing with an oomph. Instantly, his nose was invaded with the rancid smell of Gamabunta's mouth. He gagged and held a hand to his nose.

"Holy shit it _reeks_ in here!"

"Quiet down, boy!" Jiraiya shot back, slightly muffled by his sleeve that has covering his own nose. He tapped the wall of the mouth lightly with one hand, and Naruto began to protest as complete darkness engulfed his surroundings as the mouth closed.

"What the- where are we _going_?"

Naruto braced himself as he felt Gamabunta stand up, scrambling to hold onto the slippery surface of the toad's tongue as they rocked back and forth from the movement. All was still again for a moment.

And then they were falling.

"AHHH!" Naruto screamed as his body flew up to the roof of the mouth from the sudden motion, banging his head. Jiraiya calmly stood down below, still holding his nose as his feet remained firmly planted on the tongue's surface with the help of chakra.

Naruto tried to move but was flattened by the force of the toad's fall. They had been in a big training field. There was nowhere the toad could have fallen like this. What was going on?!

As suddenly as it started, it stopped, and Naruto plummeted back down to the tongue with a loud squelching sound.

"Ohhh…" the blonde groaned, feeling like he was going to be sick. Finally, the mouth opened, and Naruto scrambled out on all fours, coughing and inhaling fresh air like he had been drowning. Jiraiya ambled out casually. Gamabunta promptly closed his mouth and sat back up on his back legs.

"Wha…what is the m-meaning of this…old m-man…" Naruto hacked as Jiraiya stretched his arms to the sky.

"This is plan B." the Toad Sage said simply. Naruto finally recovered and peered around, his eyes widening as he stood up to take in his surroundings.

He was in a beautiful, lush rainforest that didn't look like anything he's seen before. There were giant twenty-foot-tall leaves sprouting from the ground like trees. There were enormous strange hooked structures that were spewing water from their tips into large pools. In the distance, tall mountain peaks surrounded them. And there were toads everywhere, of all colors and sizes! On the leaves, in the trees, and swimming in the ponds.

"Where are we…?" Naruto murmured half to himself.

"Mount Myoboku." intoned Gamabunta up above. "The sacred Land of the Toads."

"I see…" said Naruto as he watched a toad dive into a wading pool. "Why did we come here?"

The legendary Sannin chuckled and walked up to clap a big hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Because…" he said with an odd twinkle in his eye that almost seemed…proud.

"It's time to talk about the Sage Arts."

* * *

 _One two three…one two three…and turn…and turn…_

Hinata spun around as she brought her arms up, her water fans closed and pointing to the sky. Two jets of water shot up to either side, crisscrossing above her head before falling back down to the lake's surface. Before they hit she spun again, this time her arms held out to either side, and the streams of water followed the now-unfurled fans to circle Hinata's body gracefully as she turned. Hinata slowed to a gentle stop and brought in her arms as if she were hugging herself, and held that position until relaxing her stance.

The chakra element dances at the End of Year festival were supposed to celebrate the beauty of the art of element manipulation by showcasing the special traits that each element has. Fire could be gentle at one moment and then violent in a blink of an eye. Earth was a steady and yet unmoving force that gradually bent its surroundings to its will. Wind was unpredictable like fire, yet was more collaborative in the way it worked with other elements to become stronger, like stoking flames into a wildfire, or pushing water into huge waves.

Water seemed to straddle multiple qualities by being gentle like Earth and yet unpredictable like Fire and Wind. Its key difference was its versatility, the way it molded itself to different situations, funneling into a trickle to squeeze through a crack in the ceiling, or building into a torrential river as gravity pulled it down a hill. It was also the only element that had more than one physical manifestation, transforming into a liquid, solid or gas depending on the temperature.

It was the versatility of water that Hinata was trying to demonstrate through her dance. After some consultations with Rumi, last year's Earth dancer, she had put together a rough choreography that would showcase versatility while telling a story about the history and strength of Konoha, because of course it always had to tie back to Konoha somehow.

Hinata made her way back to the lake's shoreline, where she plopped onto the cold dry sand to catch her breath. It was late in the night, and a half moon was shining brightly behind some dark clouds. Between the local patrol missions and teaching during the day, Hinata barely had time to practice her dance, and she resorted to coming to the lake after dinner to go over her choreo. It didn't help that it was getting particularly frigid at night in the mid-November weather, and she was beginning to consider what she could wear so that she didn't freeze in the middle of her late December performance.

Then there was the question of her health. By now Hinata was doing fine physically, the remnants of the injuries she sustained in Iroha long gone. However, mentally speaking she wasn't sure. Just when she would think she was finally vision-free, that damned man would pop into her view when she least expected it.

Why hasn't she told the Hokage so far? Well, the Hokage was a busy person. Hinata didn't want to bother her if she had nothing else to say other than "I've been seeing a strange old man occasionally, usually while brushing my teeth or walking down the street." The old man has not spoken to her once since she started seeing him, so what use would that information be for the Hokage? All Tsunade would say is for her to let her know if the old man ever says anything to her. She sorely wanted to be rid of him, so much so that she had begun to get over her initial fear in her desperation to finally get some answers.

 _Hinata knelt down to clip a few stray branches from a shrub in the Hyuuga compound gardens when all of a sudden she saw him._

 _She immediately stood up and backed away in alarm as she took in the latest sight of the old horned man. He was standing just ten feet away, still with that impassive expression._

 _Hinata stood frozen for a few heartbeats before she straightened and clenched her fists in resolution._

" _What do you want?" she demanded, glaring at the man in defiance. "Why do you keep appearing to me?"_

 _But the man just stood there, his traditional robes stationary despite the slight wind. Hinata held her breath apprehensively, and then exhaled harshly in frustration._

" _Tell me!" she cried angrily._

 _She blinked, and he was gone. She gasped and frantically ran to the spot where he once was, engaging her Byakugan and straining to sense any retreating chakras, but there was no one there. With a cry of frustration she stamped her foot, looking up to the sky in despair._

Hinata sighed at the memory of that latest incident, which only happened a couple of days prior. Any more of this and she was going to give up and pay a visit to the hospital's psyche ward.

Absentmindedly she felt the cold sand with her bare fingertips as she rested, feeling for groundwater and pulling it up to create little pools in the sand before covering them with more sand.

Suddenly, as she was creating another small pool, she saw a rather large ant out of the corner of her eye being dragged into the pool along with the groundwater she was bending. She paused in slight surprise, and the ant immediately began to scurry away once she released her chakra. Experimentally, she began to pull the water again, this time concentrating in the ant's direction, and the ant seized up before it began to be pulled in the sand towards her, as if an invisible hand was pulling it.

Hinata held the ant in place as she tried to figure out what was going on. Why would her water jutsu be affecting a living thing?

She twisted her hand around, making the ant go in little circles until it hit her. She must be bending the water _inside_ of the ant.

Hinata inhaled sharply at the discovery and paused her movements, still keeping the ant in front of her. Of course, all living organisms had some amount of water within the cells in their bodies. Somehow by running into the force of her jutsu the ant had gotten imprisoned, possibly because it was so small.

Driven by curiosity, Hinata concentrated before bending the water again. With a small flick of her finger, the ant flicked out one of its many legs. She watched in wonder as she made it amble around the perimeter of the small pool she had created, much like how she had manipulated the sand horse at the beach.

She stopped again and closed her eyes as she strove to identify the ant's water apart from all the other water sources around her. She shifted as she started to feel it. It was barely there, but it was there. With a careful twitch of her finger, she tried to manipulate it, keeping her eyes closed as she felt the water begin to vibrate. Pulling back her hand ever so slightly, she breathed in excitement as she felt the water begin to separate from the ant.

Midway through she opened her eyes and gasped in alarm. The ant was trembling violently, its outer skeleton beginning to cave in on itself as she pulled its bodily fluids from its body, which were flowing into a little bubble of water hovered a few inches above the sand. In horror she relinquished her hold on the ant, and it collapsed in the sand, perfectly still. She had killed it.

She held a hand to her mouth. What had she been thinking! What a terrible thing to do. It was just an ant, but had it been a bigger animal, it most likely would have been screaming in pain. She had tortured it!

Yet, she couldn't help but let her mind race as it put two and two together of what something like this might mean, and the kunoichi in her buzzed with guilty excitement.

And so the Hyuuga heiress sat there in the dead of night on the lake's shore, staring at her hands as her mind began to form ideas.

* * *

Toneri's pale blue eyes narrowed as he read the short message on the scroll that had been delivered not too long ago.

"Another troop was attacked by Konoha shinobi last night in Seku. They were not able to bring back any non-shinobi recruits."

"Yes…that is the fifth such report we've had this week." replied Orochimaru from where he was standing on the other side of the long conference table. On the table was a large, detailed map of the elemental shinobi nations. "It seems that Konoha is starting to catch on."

Toneri inclined his head. "Yes. A natural response of course. Perhaps we have been a little too aggressive in our civilian recruitment. Since we have made good progress, would it be wise to pause the recruitment? I do not want Konoha to accidentally discover our true intentions before the Tenseigan is activated."

Orochimaru bowed his head slightly. "That would be wise, Toneri-sama. It is best to keep Konoha in the dark as much as possible so that we retain the element of surprise when the moon falls into position in a few weeks and we invade the Hyuuga. Afterwards it will not matter if they try to resist - we will have already won." he ended with a small smirk.

Toneri inclined his head in agreement. "Absolutely. It is decided then. Please instruct my troops to cease the recruitment. Additionally, I have reviewed your plan for the Tenseigan activation, and I think it is very good. I assume you will do what is necessary to ensure all involved parties are informed on their roles and are ready for when it is time to strike."

Orochimaru nodded, his yellow eyes flashing in the candlelight. "Indeed, Toneri-sama. In fact, I cannot take all credit for the plan. My dear comrade Sasuke provided critical insights that have greatly strengthened this strategy, isn't that right, Sasuke-kun? He has even volunteered to guard the Tenseigan himself until it is time to activate."

The silent Uchiha standing a little ways from Orochimaru bowed his head slightly to confirm his involvement. Toneri looked at him from the corner of his eyes.

"That is good. I thank you for your service, Uchiha-san. I am counting on you to be successful." Toneri directed at Sasuke. Sasuke remained silent, but flashed a look at Toneri's way and gave a barely noticeable nod, his dark eyes devoid of emotion.

"If that is all, my lord, I will take my leave to go carry out your latest directives." simpered Orochimaru. Toneri nodded.

"Yes, thank you."

As Orochimaru and Sasuke departed, Toneri watched the retreating Uchiha briefly before turning to regard the map, his pale eyes training on the red dot that was Konoha.

* * *

It was the first week of December, and Naruto had just gotten back from his week of foreign patrol the night before. The fighting with the puppets seemed to be slowing down. Naruto, Sakura and Sai hadn't run into a single one while in the western village of Ponzu.

No fighting meant it was a long, boring week. And it felt twice as long as all Naruto wanted to do was get home and find a certain indigo-haired pearl-eyed girl.

Ever since he had finally accepted his feelings for her she began to fill all of his waking and sleeping thoughts (the latter being of a more sensual, erotic flavor) even more. Thinking of her smile made him smile, thinking of her crying made him feel heartbroken. Their last embrace replayed over and over in his mind, holding her while walking through the forest replayed over and over in his mind. It was driving him _crazy_. So much that it was starting to fill him with a dangerous spark of boldness fueled by desperation. He wanted to - no - he _needed_ to know if it could all be real, if his fantasies could be reality. Could she want him like he wanted her? Could they be more than good friends?

"Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto blinked as he came out of his thoughts and realized Genma was standing right in front of him. To his left was Raidou, looking at him curiously.

"Oh, er, hey Genma! Raidou!"

Genma smiled. "Afternoon, Naruto! Sorry but we can't let you in unless you have an appointment this time. The Hokage has a meeting now and-"

"Oh, I'm in that meeting, actually." Naruto cut him off with a sheepish grin. The two Jonin blinked in surprised and glanced at each other. Raidou pulled a schedule from his pocket and began to flip through some pages.

Naruto held up a folder that had been tucked under his arm. "Yeah I wanted to show Baa-er-the Hokage some important stuff so I made an appointment to make sure she didn't blow me off for something else."

Genma glanced at Raidou, who nodded and shrugged, and turned back to Naruto with a smile. "Alright then, looks like you're right! Sorry about that."

"Eh, no prob, I know I usually drop in unannounced." They fist bumped before the Jonin opened the door to allow Naruto to enter the Hokage's office.

"Your three o'clock with Uzumaki, Hokage-sama." Genma announced before Naruto entered.

"Ah yes, come in Naruto." Tsunade called. She was scribbling on messenger parchment - notes that were to be sent by messenger pigeon.

Naruto sat down and opened his folder. Once he laid out his papers he sat, unusually quiet as he waited for her to finish. He was...nervous. In all the times he has worked with Tsunade in her office he had just been helping with paperwork. Never once had they truly had a serious conversation about any topic in order to make a critical decision. Never had he tried to persuade her of something other than letting him join high-rank missions. This conversation required some brains, something that a small insecure part of him said he didn't have.

Finally Tsunade set down her glasses and eyed him, suspicious of his silence. She poured some tea.

"Tea?"

Naruto hesitated and then nodded. All of Tsunade's real appointments took the tea, so he would too.

"So, Naruto, I have to say I was looking forward to this meeting today. It isn't every day you and I have a formal sit down." she said with a wry smile. "Have a question for me?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "It's more of a request. I wanted to propose that we reinstate the arts program at the Ninja Academy starting next year." he said in one breath, reciting the lines he practiced with Shikamaru.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at both his request and his serious tone. "The ninja arts program? Interesting...why?"

Naruto pulled out the education budget documents and slid them over to her. He would show her the facts first.

"I found these reports a while back while doing an assignment for you and starting reading through them, and…" he trailed off at Tsunade's incredulous stare.

" _And_ ," he huffed with an eye roll. "I saw that there was a budget for the arts fund that got cut after the year Orochimaru attacked Konoha, I figured because funds had to be switched over to the reconstruction effort. But besides the arts fund, none of the other academy expenses went down. The biggest expense was the Education Chairman's travel fund at 10,000 ryo per year, which is actually higher than it was in the first couple years since Orochimaru attacked. The arts fund only cost 500 ryo a year before it was cut." Naruto said as Tsunade looked over the offered papers, slipping her glasses back on with a frown.

"We had to cut some special programs after Orochimaru to free up funds for reconstruction and increased hospital resources." Tsunade stated. "I know it isn't ideal, but we are still paying for the costs of fixing all of the damage all those years ago."

Naruto leaned forward. "I know, but I don't think the arts program should be called just a 'special program'. It is really important for ninja education and should be part of the regular program."

"You may be right, but unfortunately Naruto, I can't just change the education curriculum, or the budget, just like that. There is a process for these things. The Education Chairman is the one who makes those decisions." Tsunade replied, looking at Naruto over the rim of her glasses.

Naruto gaped at her. "But...but you're the Hokage! You're saying that you don't have authority to do this?" he blurted in indignation.

Tsunade gave him a wry smile. "When it comes to education, no. I am held accountable for ensuring that the Education department has what it needs to properly run Konoha's schools, but the Education Chairman is put in charge of setting budgets and creating the curriculums since he is closer to the issues the department deals with."

Naruto scowled deeply. "But you must be able to influence him, at least! Especially when it comes to the _Ninja_ Academy." he pressed.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "Yes...but I can't just storm into his office and demand him to change the budget. There needs to be a discussion, Naruto." She looked him over curiously. "Why are you so caught up by this all of a sudden?"

Naruto frowned down at his folder for a moment before looking back up at her. "Because I talked with Hyuuga Hinata about it. You know how she's been teaching there for a while, and how well her classes have been doing because of her. She told me that she wishes the art fund could be started up again so she could create new lessons for her students. She's most likely the best teacher that the Academy has ever had, I'm sure with the arts fund she could help even more students reach their potential!"

Tsunade sighed. "I'm sure she could Naruto. But the fact is that the arts fund is currently not considered a core part of the Academy's curriculum, and therefore it won't get the priority assigned to the other areas. We could revisit the idea maybe in another year as some more reconstruction efforts are completed in the western part of the village near the ninja arena."

Naruto gritted his teeth, beginning to lose his temper. "So you would let another class of Academy students get promoted to Genin without experiencing the arts fund? Who says the arts can't be part of the core curriculum? And don't you see how cheap it is compared to the other costs? It is barely anything compared to that Chairman's travel fees!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "Maybe you should do a little more research. We are quite tight in other areas of our village budget, Naruto. Furthermore, the arts fund was 500 ryo per year in the past, but we'd need to reforecast the cost based on today's prices of supplies needed for such a program. Prices have generally gone up the last few years so the fund could cost closer to 1,000 ryo even."

"Well we should at least discuss it to see if it would be worth it! We could maybe try it for a year and decide afterwards if we want to keep doing it in the future." Naruto countered.

Tsunade frowned at him for a moment with her golden eyes, tapping a fingernail against the wood as she scanned over the documents in front of her once more. Then she suddenly swiveled her head towards the door.

"Shizune!" she shouted, causing Naruto to jump in surprise. Footsteps were heard scurrying outside before Shizune flitted into the office. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Do you know if Rioshi is available right now?"

Shizune blinked. "The Education Chairman? He is in the tower today yes. I'm not sure if he is busy at the moment."

Tsunade nodded. "Please go by his office and see if he can come step in for twenty minutes or so."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Naruto stared at Tsunade as Shizune left. Tsunade cracked a faint smile. "Might as well make this discussion productive if we can."

Naruto cracked a grin in disbelief, his chest puffing up as he realized - she was taking him seriously!

A few moments later, Shizune re-entered the office. "Ryu Rioshi, Hokage-sama." she announced, bowing before stepping aside to make way for an elderly man. His grey hair was long and hung in one long braid down to the middle of his back, while his moustache and goatee were clipped with meticulous precision. He was dressed in a fine navy blue patterned kimono and formal close-toed winter shoes. His grey-blue hawk-like eyes passed over Naruto briefly before centering on the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama." he greeted with a bow, his accent tinged with the effects of high-society.

Tsunade rose to her feet. "Thank you for joining us so last minute, Rioshi-san." she said, bowing slightly in return. Naruto also stood up as his deep blue eyes inspected the Chairman from head to toe.

"This is my assistant Uzumaki Naruto. We were discussing some education-related topics and wanted to see if we could get your quick insight. Would you be able to sit with us for a moment?" said Tsunade.

Rioshi nodded his head once, his eyes having fixed on Naruto the moment Tsunade mentioned his name. Naruto gave a curt bow and a murmured a greeting before settling back into his chair, while Rioshi took the one next to him.

"Rioshi-san, we are discussing whether it makes sense to restart the arts program at the Ninja Academy beginning next year. This would mean a change to the Academy's current curriculum and budget. Do you have any comments on whether this would be beneficial?" Tsunade opened.

Rioshi clasped his hands in his lap. "The arts program at the Ninja Academy has not been active for many years. In particular, the recent attacks on Konoha have forced us to reduce our budget so that reconstruction can be completed in the affected areas. This has made it impossible to continue the arts program."

"And you have tried to cut from other areas of the education budget?" asked Tsunade.

"The other expenses were deemed necessary for the Academy to properly operate, so we did not touch them to minimize impact on school quality."

Naruto sat up. "Well, what about your travel fund? What is that for?"

Rioshi glanced at Naruto. "The fund is necessary for me to attend important annual conferences on education." he answered shortly.

Naruto frowned. "Well, the arts program would actually help students become better shinobi. How do conferences help them get better?"

Rioshi turned to look at Naruto, his eyes narrowed. "These are key international education conferences with representatives from other elemental nations where we discuss pertinent educational issues to create solutions that we can take back to implement in our own countries. This knowledge exchange is what helps Konoha's schools improve. The arts program's benefits are negligible compared to this."

Naruto looked to Tsunade. "Well maybe Konoha doesn't have to attend all the conferences, we could just -"

"Attending those conferences is part of the Chairman's job description, Naruto." Tsunade interrupted. "His presence is indeed required in those senior level meetings that help decide the future of ninja education."

Naruto glared but changed direction. "Well how much do you really need? Why can't we take off 500 or 600 ryo for the arts program?"

Rioshi frowned. "It is not possible. The fund is constructed to take into account my transportation, shinobi escort, and hotel accommodations."

"Well, how many shinobi do you need to escort you? There has to be a way-"

"Hokage-sama, I don't quite understand why we are having this conversation. The arts program has never been proven to show any sort of impact on skillbuilding at the Ninja Academy. I do not understand why there need to be changes to the budget to accommodate a program that has never been needed for Genin education." Rioshi said suddenly, evidently losing patience with Naruto and turning to fully face the Hokage.

Tsunade tapped her fingers on her desk as Naruto looked to her pleadingly. "We have a teacher who wants to use the program to make her teachings more well-rounded. Have you ever discussed the potential benefits of the arts in shinobi education at one of your conferences?"

Rioshi scoffed. "There has never once been a recommendation put forth during a conference in support of the arts in ninja education. While some schools offer the arts, it is by no means used to evaluate ninja readiness."

Tsunade glanced at Naruto, and in that moment Naruto knew he was losing. The damn Chairman was totally going to get his way!

He gritted his teeth as the Hokage and Chairman exchanged a bit more. He wanted to jump and rage at this bumbling old fool about how wrong he was, but he couldn't do it that way this time. He had to play the game their way.

 _Come on...come on…_ He racked his brain for an idea. His stomach churned as he began to consider that he wouldn't come out of this successful. How could he, Uzumaki Naruto, dead-last at the Ninja Academy, somehow persuade the Education Chairman and the Hokage to change something like the Academy's curriculum and budget? He was a fighter, but he fought with his fists, not his words. He was going to fuck up once again.

An image of Hinata flashed through his mind. The words she had murmured to him in the hospital came back. _'I know you can do it.'_

She believed in him, he remembered. She listened to him. Someone as great as Hinata actually took his advice when he offered it. And all of a sudden he felt better, a weight lifted off his shoulders. Hinata took him seriously, so he should do that too. He would make this work, one way or another. And in that moment, he knew. He knew why he was doing all this, even before the students.

He was doing this for her.

A small smile somehow found its way onto his face, which grew when finally, something popped into his mind.

"...so, in my opinion, having an arts program in a ninja academy is a nice-to-have, not a necessity." finished Rioshi.

"That's not true!" shot Naruto, causing the Hokage and Chairman to stare at him.

"First of all, if you know so much about education, you should know that every student learns differently." Naruto started. "Like me, I never had good grades at the Academy the entire time I was there, because I wasn't that book-smart and didn't understand the lectures. But once I finally graduated and started working with my shinobi team and Jiraiya-sensei, I realized that I could learn really fast through hands-on learning. Hyuuga Hinata is the best, most creative teacher the Academy has ever had. Imagine what she could do if she could add art to her lessons. There could be a whole bunch of kids who could benefit from that!"

Tsunade looked surprised by his monologue, and made a small impressed hum. Rioshi harrumphed.

"That's a lot of "could's" Uzumaki-san. Art can perhaps be a method of communication yes, but there is simply no place for it in a shinobi skillset. Painting, sculpting, calligraphy, crafting, there are no real-life applications!"

Naruto blinked and sat up as fast as a bolt of lightning. "Wait, did you just say calligraphy? Calligraphy is included in the arts program?"

Rioshi frowned. "It is considered an art form, yes, therefore it has often been included." he answered dryly.

Naruto smirked, settling back in his chair, turning to face Tsunade. "Well there you go, Baa-Hokage-sama. We have to do the arts program now."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, suspicious of his smirk. "Why is that?"

"Are you a ninja, Rioshi-san?" Naruto asked innocently, turning back to the Chairman. Rioshi coughed lightly.

"No, I am not. It is not a requirement to be a shinobi in order to be Education Chairman." he replied with a defiant sniff. Naruto chuckled ironically.

"Interesting. Although it now makes sense why you said that there's no place for art in a shinobi skillset. That just goes to show how little you know of being a ninja." Naruto sneered. Rioshi scoffed, and Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Naruto in warning.

"What's your point, Naruto?" she asked directly.

Naruto crossed his arms. "You want a real-life application? For the last I-don't-know-how-many years, shinobi have had to travel by foot on all of their missions. People would _die_ just because they were really injured and couldn't make the long journey back home by foot. It wasn't until just a month ago that we finally began to move past that. Why? Because Sai appeared on the scene as the first shinobi to use _calligraphy_ -based jutsus! Thanks to him, all shinobi can now travel on his ink bird jutsus. We're completing missions faster than ever before thanks to him."

Naruto leaned forward, a glint in his eye. "But right now whenever his ink bird scrolls run out of chakra we have to wait for Sai to make a new one. Can you imagine if more kids grew up to have Sai's abilities? I personally think all shinobi should know how to create ink birds at least for mission travel and quick get aways. It should be just as necessary as having someone with medical knowledge on mission teams!" he said excitedly. "Don't you agree, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade's eyes had widened as Naruto had spoken. A small smirk grew on her face. "I do quite like that idea." she replied with a nod.

"But maybe, we will never know whether or not that could happen, because apparently the arts program is _not a necessity_." Naruto concluded, gazing at Rioshi with a challenging glare.

Rioshi gaped at him. "Well, er, yes, that may sound like a good idea, but you have to think of the real-life restraints on such a plan, like-"

"Like you, Rioshi-san?" piped Tsunade, looking hard now at the Chairman, who stared at her with wide eyes.

"...Hokage-sama...I am surely not trying to-"

"Naruto," said Tsunade. "Would Hinata really be able to teach students the basics of calligraphy jutsus? I don't believe she has those capabilities herself."

Naruto nodded quickly. "She doesn't, but we can get Sai to work with her to help her put lessons together specifically on calligraphy jutsus. He could even visit the Academy as a guest to help the students with some drills, I'm sure he could do it!"

"Good." Tsunade nodded. "Rioshi-san, I would like to pilot this idea at the Academy next year. Can you please take the necessary steps to reassess next year's budget and curriculum given this new change?

Rioshi sputtered and sat up indignantly. "Hokage-sama, I understand you may like this idea, but please remember that I as the Education Chairman am supposed to have final say on whether we make such changes, and you-"

"And _I_ , as the _Hokage_ , am in charge of ensuring that the Education department is equipped to run Konoha's schools so that all children are receiving the education they need. And since I believe calligraphy jutsus are becoming a priority skill for shinobi, the Academy must adapt to this new need by changing its curriculum and budget accordingly." replied Tsunade quickly, keeping a calm face despite her sharp tone.

Rioshi visibly shivered at her tone and remained flustered for a moment until finally nodding curtly.

"As you wish, Hokage-sama. I will have my office put together a new plan for next year." he replied gruffly, taking care to ignore Naruto's victorious grin.

"Wonderful. I'm glad we had this chat. Now, if you could, I must get to my next meeting. Thank you all." All meeting attendees rose and Rioshi and Naruto bowed to the Hokage before they made to leave, Rioshi exiting first at a brisk walk.

Naruto paused at the door and turned to Tsunade. "Baa-cha-...er...Hokage-sama?" he murmured, catching the female Sannin's attention. "Thank you."

Tsunade smiled. "No problem. Great work. You impressed me today." she replied, her voice professional but her eyes conveying something more tender.

Naruto blushed slightly but nodded back happily. "Also, there's one other thing…"

Tsunade looked at him quizzically. "Yes? Make it quick, I do have to go."

"Can you not mention it to Hinata yet? I'd like to...tell her myself, if possible." Naruto held his breath.

Tsunade blinked. "Oh...sure, if that's what you prefer. Just as long as you tell her before January." she replied, her smile growing into a smirk. "You two talk a lot, huh?"

Damn it. She was going to make it a _thing_. "Ah yeah, ha ha...great well thanks again Baa-chan!" Naruto sped out the door, evading Tsunade's inevitable angry response to his way of addressing her.

Outside the Hokage Tower, Naruto hopped and skipped randomly as he jogged back to his apartment, eventually clambering to the rooftops, leaping higher than he usually did. A ridiculously huge grin was on his face despite the bitterly cold air.

 _I did it! I did it!_ he crowed mentally. He couldn't _wait_ to tell her. The look on her face was going to be amazing.

And then she would ask him why he did it. And he would say it's because he knew it would make her happy. And she would give him that beautiful smile, and hug him, and reach up and press her lips against his…

He blinked and shook his head rapidly, surprised to find that he somehow was already standing at the door to his apartment. Waves of nerves suddenly slammed into him as he contemplated the idea of actually divulging some of his feelings for Hinata _to Hinata._

Hold up, hold up. He had to think about this. Was this really the right way, the right time? After unlocking his door he walked into his living room and glanced at the small calendar on his wall. It was Monday. Therefore, Hinata and her team would be back from patrol this Saturday night for the weekly switch. So he had time to figure it out.

He crashed onto his couch, raking and tugging his hair with one hand while he stared at his ceiling, an absentminded, lopsided grin on his face.

* * *

Okay, maybe he needed more time.

Saturday had come, and Naruto was a ball of earth-shattering nerves. He had changed his mind twelve times about seeking out Hinata that day, and it was only 3PM. He had seen a few other even-numbered teams in town, and he knew she'd be back in mere moments if she hadn't already returned.

 _Ask her to dinner. Just say 'hey, Hinata, if you aren't too tired, would you like to grab some ramen with me? Just thought we could catch up, I've missed you these last few weeks.'...Agh no… can't say I missed her, that's too much, right? I mean friends miss each other but it hasn't really been that long...And I don't wanna take her to get ramen, that's a lame date! We could go somewhere nicer but...wouldn't that also seem suspicious? Especially if I pay, then it would totally look like a date! I mean, I wanna have a date with her but I don't want to tell her it's a date because maybe she'd say no...but if I just ask her to dinner we'll just talk as friends and...I don't want her to think that I'm taking her out just as a friend…_

"Ughhhh!" he threw his hands up in the air. He was standing up on the roof of his apartment building, pacing back and forth under the overcast sky. The weather had warmed up that particular day, rare for the region when it was nearly December. Naruto stared at the sea of red rooftops as he zoned out while constructing and quickly destroying one idea after the other. It didn't help that the Kyuubi continually laughed at his misery and kept nagging about just tackling Hinata and showing her he was the "alpha".

It was nearing 4PM, and the sun was already making its descent in the sky. Finally Naruto decided to go back inside. He was totally out of his element. He never let his internal worries stop him from doing whatever he wants to do. He was always a "leap before you look" kind of guy, in all areas of his life. But this was one case where taking a random leap could lead to him falling into a never ending void of pain and regret. Thoughts of her laughing at him, avoiding him, ending their friendship scared him. She had only become part of his life about six months ago yet the thought of losing her was already a non-option.

YOU GOT IT REAL BAD, KID. the Kyuubi chuckled once again. Naruto just sighed.

Night quickly fell, and Naruto figured he would just abort. He walked briskly to Ichiraku, desperate for some comfort food - these newfound emotions were exhausting.

He sat in his usual chair, chewing quietly on some miso ramen, occasionally making conversation with Teuchi and Ayame, who frequently looked back at him with strange expressions, not used to such a quiet demeanor.

He was almost through his second bowl when he sensed someone behind him.

"Hey, Naruto!" Naruto turned to find his old sensei Iruka looking back at him with a smile.

"Oh, hey, Iruka-sensei! What's up?" answered Naruto, easily returning Iruka's smile.

"Not much, just out and about since it's so nice out today. Was actually just thinking about getting a bite to eat for dinner. May I join you?"

"Sure! Come on over." Naruto replied, patting the seat next to him. Iruka took his place and greeted the Ichiraku chefs and made his order before turning back to his old student. They conversed about Naruto's missions and his training with Jiraiya.

"Yeah, Pervy Sage has been putting me through super special training so I can get strong enough to do this new jutsu I'm trying to do. Once I do it, it'll be even stronger than the Rasengan!" chirped Naruto excitedly, having forgotten his earlier melancholy after starting a third bowl and talking to Iruka.

Iruka sighed. "Naruto, you shouldn't call Jiraiya-sama that! He is a _Sannin_." he nagged, frowning at Naruto's eye roll and mutters about "you don't know him like I do". "And what is this special training? What kind of jutsu are you trying to do?"

Naruto chuckled apologetically. "Er, sorry, I would tell you, Iruka-sensei, but Perv-er... _Jiraiyaa_ -sensei told me not to tell anyone about it because, well, he doesn't want people to know that I'll have certain abilities yet. To maintain the 'element of surprise'." Naruto said, making air quotations with his fingers.

Iruka frowned slightly but nodded, looking down at his food. "Ah...makes sense." he murmured.

"Sorry…" Naruto repeated softly, feeling bad that he was shutting Iruka out of a part of his life that Iruka used to have jurisdiction over.

But Iruka smiled again. "It's okay Naruto. I'm happy that you are working with someone like Jiraiya-sama. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I can tell it has had a great influence on you already. I'm proud of you."

Naruto glanced at Iruka in surprise before looking back down at his food, a blush briefly reddening his cheeks. It was one thing to receive compliments from Jiraiya, another to receive them from Iruka, who had seen Naruto grow from the time he was young. His acknowledgement was embedded with deep sentiments that made Naruto's eyes grow misty for a quick second.

They continued to eat. "So...anything else going on?" queried Iruka.

Naruto shrugged. "Nope...just training and missions, basically…" he replied casually even though Hinata's face had flashed in his mind immediately.

Iruka raised an eyebrow as he patted his mouth with a napkin. "Huh. You're a bit quiet tonight. You sure anything isn't on your mind?" he asked with a kind smile.

Naruto made a noncommittal shake of his head but then paused. Iruka had given him helpful advice last time he was confused about all this stuff. Maybe he could get his opinion again.

"Actually, Iruka-sensei? I have a question." said Naruto. Iruka looked at him expectantly.

"Sure, Naruto."

Naruto paused for a moment before speaking. "What do you do if you like someone, but you don't know if they like you back...if they would, or could, like you back?" he asked slowly, glancing at Iruka out of the corner of his eye.

Iruka blinked at the question, a small smirk growing on his face. "Are you asking for your _friend_ again?" he replied, casually taking a sip of water.

Naruto sweatdropped and then nodded quickly. "O-oh, yeah! We were talking again today, and he's still having, you know...issues with that stuff and...yeah he keeps asking me these questions and I still don't know what to say, ya know?"

Iruka grinned briefly but quickly took on a thoughtful countenance. "Hm, well I guess there are a few ways. The first being simply telling that person and asking them if they would want to try being in a relationship."

Naruto shook his head furiously, his cheeks flushing slightly. " _No!_ That's not an option at all! Not possible! He, er, can't do that!"

Iruka smirked and then shrugged. "Alright then. Well then another way to find out if they'd be interested in being with you is to send subtle messages that convey your interest without overdoing and potentially scaring them off."

Naruto visibly perked up. "Yeah, that would be a great idea! What kind of messages?"

Iruka rested his head in his hand. "Well...like occasionally giving them nice compliments. Telling jokes in order to make them laugh. Paying a little more attention to them, more than you pay attention to others, so that they start to feel special. Eventually you could initiate light physical contact, maybe hug them or put your arm around their shoulder. If the person doesn't seem uncomfortable or reciprocates those actions, then the chance that they could be interested in you increases."

Naruto simply stared at him in awed silence. "In short, Naruto, you flirt with them." Iruka concluded with an even bigger smirk.

"Flirt…" Naruto repeated softly, staring into space as he mulled over that word. He instantly had flashbacks to seeing Jiraiya sweet talk all those floozy women in the pleasure houses they passed by during their travels. "But I don't want them to...I mean _he_ wouldn't want them to think he is a pervert, you know?"

"Flirting is totally fine as long as you stay respectful, Naruto. If the other person wants you to stop, you must. Flirting is how people naturally showcase that they have romantic feelings for each other." replied Iruka.

Naruto's blue eyes widened in understanding. "Wow, Iruka-sensei, you understand this stuff so well! Hey, how come you don't have a girlfriend, Sensei?"

Iruka immediately sweatdropped and cried out in protest. "Eh? What do you-...wha...me? Pah! I see enough women, thank you very much!" he retorted. Naruto raised a very skeptical eyebrow while Teuchi and Ayame, who had overheard the last bit of their conversation, snickered by the stove.

* * *

An hour after dinner, Naruto was lying on his couch once more, staring up at the ceiling, when he sat up suddenly. He ran over to throw on his black and orange ninja pants, a grey sweatshirt, and his black and orange jacket on over that, before slipping his shoes back on. He promptly left his apartment and channeled his chakra to launch himself up to the roof of his apartment building.

Staring out at the darkened village, he closed his eyes and frowned in concentration.

Some moments later, he opened his eyes, which were no longer blue, but the color of gold, dark amphibian irises contrasting vividly. The Earth resembled the star-studded sky as Naruto could view the flames of natural energy from multiple living things across the village. But he quickly ignored most of them, turning first in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. He took his time analyzing each human in the compound, but he didn't find what he was looking for. In a moment of anxiety, he turned towards the hospital and scanned it thoroughly, but had the same result. None of them felt like her.

He frowned in contemplation before turning around and looking out past the village limits. He had to jump a few rooftops to get a better view, as the natural energy of the forest trees was competing with that of his intended target. After some squinting, he stood straighter as he saw it. Someone was out there, and they were surrounded by wisps of chakra that was being purposefully manipulated. He smirked.

The dead leaves crunched and crackled under his feet as he sprinted through the forest, still channeling his newfound abilities to avoid running into a tree in the dark.

The sound of falling water reached his ears and he began to slow, deactivating his elevated state to somewhat conceal himself. Nerves made him pause by the edge of the forest as he looked out to the center of the vast moonlit lake.

His heart fluttered as he set eyes on the Hyuuga heiress, who seemed very preoccupied with some sort of water jutsu drill. She was using her fans to force columns of water to shoot up thirty, forty feet high in the air, before crashing back down only to be brought back up again. She seemed to be following some sort of pattern, having water columns of increasing height shoot up in quick succession, then a whole row of columns rise together, then it repeated, and then a new pattern took place. It was visually very impressive but he didn't quite see how they could be used as an attack, and was wondering if it was defensive instead, when all of a sudden he realized: she was practicing her dance.

Hinata did a graceful spin before executing another series of synchronized water moves, and Naruto found himself stepping out onto the shoreline, closer and closer until his feet almost touched the water. He was mesmerized by Hinata's elegance as she twirled and skipped on the water like some kind of nymph, her long dark hair snapping back and forth. She moved with such ease and confidence it was like she had been doing this all her life, and Naruto just tilted his head in wonder, feeling like someone pulled the rug out from under him as he learned yet again there was something about Hinata that he didn't know.

He finally perched himself on the large boulder next to him to continue watching, not wanting to interrupt her at all. Hinata moved her arms fluidly as she conjured yet another move, causing whips of water to zip around her as an atom's electrons circle its nucleus. Naruto frowned slightly as he felt a sense of deja vu come over him, like he had seen this before somewhere…

Suddenly, the watery apparitions ceased their movement and cascaded promptly into the lake, and Naruto tensed with a jolt as he realized that Hinata's pale eyes were staring in his direction. His spine prickled with the knowledge that he was caught, but he couldn't help but grin like a doofus as he watched her slowly cross her arms and shift her weight on one leg, her curvy hip jutting out sexily. He smirked and raised a hand to wave, and he couldn't take his eyes off her as she finally began to move his way.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - THE TALK (PART II)**

Hinata had returned from her patrol mission in the mid-afternoon that Saturday and had quickly ran home to unpack, shower and eat so that she could race out to the lake before her father or an elder would trap her in endless trying conversations. The days were just flying by and she still had to nail down the second half of her performance. Luckily as she continued to practice her nerves about performing were beginning to fade as she started to feel more prepared. She even had a moment of inspiration a week ago that caused her to totally rework the second half of the performance, but has so far led to results that have left her almost excited to show everyone what she put together. She endeavoured to convey emotion and was taking care to perfect not just her jutsus but also her own form.

She had been deep in concentration as she ran through a series of moves to perfect the timing when she felt a twinge of awareness that instinctively set off her Byakugan. She immediately froze when she registered the chakra signature directly behind her at the edge of the lake, causing her jutsus to break apart. She swiveled and stared at the lone figure ahead of her, a fresh waves of nerves bubbling low in her stomach as she caught sight of blonde, black and orange.

 _Oh Kami..._ she thought in slight exasperation, blushing furiously in embarrassment upon realizing that Naruto of all people had been watching her practice her dance, which in her mind was nowhere close to being done. _What is_ he _doing here?_

Still, she couldn't help but smile shyly and cross her arms, subtly conveying her reluctant amusement. She giggled softly when he waved brashly at her with his trademark grin shining brightly even from a hundred feet away. She sighed and decided to face the music, stepping delicately over towards the Uzumaki.

As she approached Naruto came into view and she blushed again at how good he looked just reclining casually on the huge boulder at the shore, leaning back on one hand while his other arm rested on his raised knee. His amazingly blue eyes sparkled at her as he watched her advance.

When she was near he shrugged at her in amused confusion. "Why didja stop?" he asked, a knowing smirk plastered on his face.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata greeted softly with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto flashed a grin and shrugged again, looking around casually. "Oh you know, just felt like taking a stroll by the lake. Didn't realize a show was going on, so I decided to check it out. But it just stopped all of sudden. Any idea why?"

Hinata gave a light laugh. "You are mistaken. There is no show here."

Naruto chuckled. "Oh really? Then what was all that just now?"

Hinata flushed. "That was nothing…"

"Nothing? It didn't look like nothing. It looked really good. Amazing, actually." Naruto gave a lopsided smile that just made him look oh so handsome. "Come on, you don't have to stop 'cause I'm here."

But Hinata shook her head furiously. "No... _no_." she repeated, giggling when Naruto held up his hands in disbelief.

"Aw come on, why not?"

"Because...I'm still practicing…"

"So?"

"So, it's not done, and I don't want you to see!"

"I don't care if it's not done, it looks pretty done to me!"

"Still...I want it to be a surprise."

Naruto groaned. "It's just me! I won't tell anyone!"

"I want you to be surprised too."

Naruto snorted in amusement. "Okay...fine then. I can see I'm not going to win this one." he said with a smirk. "How have you been? Did your mission go alright?"

Hinata smiled. "I've been well, thank you." she replied graciously. "The mission was fine. We did not run into any criminals. We made so many rounds and talked with local authorities, but no one had witnessed any strange activity in a while. I hope this means the kidnapping has stopped."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah it might. But we still haven't been able to find those who were already kidnapped. I can't stand those guys that are doing this!"

Hinata nodded sadly. "I'm sure we will find them soon, Naruto-kun, we just have to be patient. Have you...been well otherwise?" she continued, smiling shyly.

Naruto smiled back. "Yeah, I'm pretty good, thanks. Just missions and training, nothing new there, heh." he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in typical Naruto fashion.

"That's good...how is your training? Have you been able to...make progress?" Hinata asked with a hesitant smile.

Naruto studied her for a moment, causing her to tremble internally, before a mischievous smile grew on his face.

"I have, actually." he replied, his cobalt eyes sparkling. "That's kinda why I came by...would you wanna see?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "Oh!...yes, I would!" she said with a bubbly giggle, gazing at Naruto in obvious excitement.

He grinned in response before jerking his head to the side. "Wanna trade places then?"

Hinata nodded, still smiling, and stepped over so that she could hop up onto the enormous boulder Naruto had been resting on. They were both standing on the rock, and Hinata looked at Naruto, who was looking at the lake in contemplation.

"Actually, do you think you could do me a favor? Could you make a few of those earth pillars you make? Like, going down in a row?" he asked, pointing with his hand to indicate the desired direction.

Hinata tilted her head curiously but nodded. "Oh, sure…" She promptly began to channel her chakra, and after a moment, executed a few quick hand seals. Five large pillars immediately shot up in a long row about twenty feet from where they stood. "Is that good?"

"Perfect!" Naruto answered with a grin. "Now er, I think you need to stand back a bit."

Hinata took a few steps back.

"Mmm, a little further…" Hinata raised an eyebrow but stepped even further so that she was by the edge of the boulder. Naruto pursed his lips in thought before hopping off the rock and stepping a ways off in the sand. "Actually, here would be good!"

Hinata looked at him in amusement but nodded in compliance. Once she was situated to his liking he made his way back to his perch on the boulder.

"Okay, you watching?" he called with a smile. Hinata giggled and nodded. "Alright then…"

Hinata watched as Naruto closed his eyes and seemed to be concentrating on something. A few moments later, she gasped when he reopened his eyes, which had turned a vivid yellow-orange with animalistic black irises.

She watched in awe as Naruto quickly called two clones, which also had the same eye color as him. Naruto then began to work with one of the clones to create what seemed to be a regular Rasengan. However, the second clone quickly jumped in and began to add wind element chakra to the swirling ball of energy, which began to take on a different appearance. It increasingly became oblong, almost disc-like, and Hinata held an arm to her face to block the dust and debris being kicked up by the wind that was churning from the immense amount of chakra.

Naruto then dispelled the clones and held the wild jutsu in his hand while he stared down the row of earth columns Hinata had created. He spread his legs into a stance, and then with an almighty shout he chucked the jutsu at the columns. Hinata's hair snapped to the side as she watched the jutsu travel at a jaw-dropping speed. It cleanly shaved off the top half of the first column and kept careening at top speed to slice through the others. At the final column, the jutsu suddenly exploded with an enormous boom, and Hinata squinted through the flash of light to watch the last column be sliced to tiny shreds by what seemed to be thousands upon thousands of wind blades.

The jutsu finally faded away, and Hinata remained standing stock still as she tried to process what she just saw.

Naruto had dropped to a knee and was panting heavily, sweat dripping down his nose. He gulped several mouthfuls of air before he glanced over at Hinata, who was still gaping at the destroyed pillars in the lake.

"S-s...S-so, what d-do you think?" he gasped as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

Hinata remained silent for a moment before she finally responded. "Th-that...that was i-incredible, Naruto-kun." she said softly. "I never thought, I never imagined it could be...that strong…"

Naruto grinned shakily before wincing as he rocked back onto his bum, still struggling to catch his breath. Hinata saw this and quickly scurried to her bag laying in the sand and rummaged around for her water canteen. When she found it she quickly climbed up to sit next to Naruto and offered the water, which he took with a weak nod of thanks.

He was gulping half the bottle while Hinata slowly sank to sit cross-legged beside him. She gazed at the Uzumaki while he took a few more deep breaths, unable to stop her lips from curving into a big smile, her big eyes sparking. Naruto finally glanced at her and took in her expression before giving her a big smile back, nodding humbly at her tacit admiration. They both chuckled in shared amazement at the result of Naruto's hard work. Hinata gently touched his shoulder in suppressed excitement.

"It was amazing, Naruto-kun." she whispered, causing Naruto's grin to increase.

"Heh...kinda cool right?" he said, looking out at the destroyed earth pillars.

"Much more than kinda cool. What...what was it you did in the beginning, when your eyes changed color?"

Naruto was quiet for a moment, a faint smile growing on his face. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

Hinata blinked at him, but nodded. "I do."

Naruto's piercing blue eyes analyzed her face for a moment until he smirked. "It's new trick I learned." he said in an excited murmur. "The jutsu needs so much chakra that I can't currently do it in my normal state, so I learned this so I could use natural energy to complete the jutsu."

"Natural energy...Naruto-kun, you mean you are doing senjutsu?" Hinata breathed in amazement. "Is Jiraiya-sama teaching you?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup! Him and I have been working together so I could learn the Sage Arts from him." he responded proudly.

Hinata stared at him in wonder. "That's...amazing."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah it's been really great. Here look." He shut his eyes for a few moments, and when he opened them they were back to a blazing golden color. Hinata stared at him with great intrigue, even engaging her Byakugan to see the changes in his chakra signature.

"Wow…" she whispered, leaning even closer for a better look. She moved closer, and closer, until their faces were inches apart.

Naruto made a noise with his throat and Hinata suddenly gasped and jerked back. "S-sorry!" she stuttered as she gasped inwardly at how close she had been.

"It's okay." Naruto replied, glancing away as he rubbed the back of his head. He exhaled slowly and once again his eyes changed from gold to blue.

"Do you...do you want to practice it? I can watch with my Byakugan and see if I can find out anything useful."

Naruto smiled. "That would be great except...well…I can only do one at a time right now." he chuckled sheepishly. "Maybe next time?"

Hinata blinked in surprise and nodded quickly. "Oh, of course! I'm sorry."

"Ha, don't be! I'm still working on it and soon I'll be able to do as many as I want!" Naruto grinned cheekily, ignoring the Kyuubi's mutterings of not counting his eggs before they hatched.

Hinata giggled. "I have the utmost confidence in you Naruto-kun." she said softly, smiling shyly.

Naruto smiled at her before looking out at the calm lake. "So...I want you to give it a name."

Hinata had been looking away, and she slowly turned her head to stare at Naruto. "W-what?"

"I want you to think of a name, for the new jutsu. It was your idea, after all." he repeated, his mouth turning into a faint smirk.

Hinata gaped at him at shook her head. "But, Naruto-kun, you should name it! You are the one who did all the work and made it happen."

Naruto shook his head. "No, I want you to think of it." he said once again, turning to look her in the eye. "Please?"

Hinata looked at him pleadingly before finally sighing and nodding with a soft chuckle. She hummed in thought.

"Well...it's like your Rasengan, so maybe that should be part of the name. Like Wind Rasengan...or, Flying Rasengan...no I don't like that really…"

Naruto smirked as he watched Hinata mumble to herself, tapping her fingers against her lips in that way that made him want to tackle her to the ground, and he forced himself to look away.

"...Or maybe since it moves like my fans we could call it a Rasendisc...or a Rasenshuriken…"

Naruto's head snapped back to look at her. "What was that?"

Hinata blinked and stared at him. "Um...Rasenshuriken?"

"Rasenshuriken…" Naruto murmured, looking out again at the mangled pillars.

The grin on his face was positively devilish. "I like that. A lot."

Hinata giggled uncertainly. "Really?"

"Yeah." he said, jumping up suddenly causing Hinata to squeak in surprise. Raising a palm into the air, he swung his arm in imitation of how he threw his jutsu earlier.

" _Rasenshuriken_!" he bellowed, his voice echoing across the lake. Hinata squeaked and covered her mouth as new giggles bubbled up. Naruto looked at her with a big grin.

"Yup. It's officially Rasenshiruken now." he said, plopping back down next to Hinata. Hinata just laughed softly.

"When we have our rematch, do you promise not to use the Rasenshuriken? I won't use Gentle Fist in return."

"Oh ho ho! So she's trying to bargain her way out of this one, eh?" Naruto mocked as Hinata laughed louder. "I don't know too much about that. You have so many kinds of jutsus to use against me I think I need the Rasenshuriken to even have a chance. Now it will be a fair fight." he smirked.

Hinata giggled and then quieted, her eyes becoming pensive. "I may have thought of another jutsu, actually."

Naruto grinned. "Really? Cool, what is it?! I think I need a Rasenkunai to follow up my Rasenshuriken."

Hinata laughed. "Silly, not for _you_ " she murmured, side-eyeing him playfully. "For me…"

Naruto blinked and chuckled. "Oh, I see. I guess that's cool too. So what is it?"

Hinata smiled faintly, but it was more of a grimace. "I'm...a little ashamed of it…"

Naruto frowned slightly. "Um, why? I'm sure it's awesome!"

Hinata hesitated, and decided it would be better to show then explain. She glanced around at the vegetation at the base of the boulder, and hopped down when she saw something. Naruto craned his neck over the edge and jerked back when she suddenly returned, holding something in one hand which she set on the rock between them. Naruto squinted to see that it was a small wildflower. He looked at Hinata questioningly.

"Watch…" she murmured. She then made a few hand seals and took one hand, hovering it over the flower. For a moment there was nothing, until Naruto started to watch tiny beads of water form on the flower's stem. They seemed to be alive as they began to collect and form larger drops, finally dripping off of the flower and floating to create a single ball of water. He frowned as more and more water was sucked from the flower, causing the plant to become increasingly withered.

Finally Hinata stopped and allowed the ball of water to splash to the ground. Slowly, she took one finger and just barely tapped the flower with it. It instantly disintegrated into a fine dust that began to flow away on the light wind.

Naruto's brows furrowed. "Wow… that was cool." He looked up at her. "What was so bad about it?"

Hinata smiled slightly.

"Imagine if I did that to a person."

Naruto stared at her, his eyes widening as he looked back down at the dust.

"Ohhh…"

He laughed in disbelief. " _Shiiiit_...Hinata, I didn't know you were so... _evil_!" he looked at her with a grin.

Hinata balked. "Y-you see? I told you it's terrible!"

Naruto chuckled. "No, it's not terrible at all, Hinata. It's _awesome_!" he said eagerly. "I mean damn, you hit someone with that in a fight and...I mean I can't think of a way to get out of something like that. Have you tried it on a person yet?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "N-no, of course not! It's really hard to do...I've been trying it out on small shrubs but I haven't done anything larger than that."

"Hm...well when we rematch you could try it on me."

Hinata gasped. "Naruto-kun! I most definitely wouldn't!" she cried in shock. Naruto just laughed loudly, his deep voice setting off butterflies in Hinata's stomach.

"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea. I just hope I'll be there to witness when you finally are able to nail someone with it." he grinned maliciously.

"I hope I never do…" Hinata said softly. Naruto just looked at her with a silly grin before looking back out at the lake, jiggling one foot he had stretched out in front of him.

"Well, thanks again, for the Rasenshiruken." he said with a smile.

Hinata chuckled. "You're welcome. Happy birthday again."

Naruto smiled and then suddenly looked at her. "When is your birthday?" he asked.

Hinata blushed slightly. "Oh, it's um...the twenty-seventh of December."

Naruto straightened. "But that's coming up soon! Were you ever going to tell me?"

Hinata smiled shyly. "Umm...well I'm sure it would have come up eventually."

Naruto pouted. "Hmph. Well thanks for the heads up." he said sarcastically. Hinata just chuckled apologetically.

She heard Naruto sigh softly, and she looked at him questioningly. Naruto opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before finally speaking.

"Hinata, we're friends right?"

Hinata flushed at the direct question. "Oh, w-well, yes of course." she murmured nervously.

Naruto glanced at her and nodded. He then chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry, I know that was kinda random and all, it just that…" he trailed off and looked at her for a second, his blue eyes shining brightly under the moon.

"I just feel like even though we're friends and we talk...like I still don't really know much about you. Whenever we talk we don't really get to talk about real stuff, you know? Like it's been like six months and I only just found out your birthday." he said with a short laugh.

Hinata listened, frozen despite the deep blush crawling up her neck. _Naruto-kun wants to know more about me?_ she thought in great surprise, feeling very flattered and embarrassed.

"O-oh...I see...I...I w-would like to kn-know more too." she murmured, her lashes batting rapidly in shyness.

Naruto laughed softly. "Okay...so let's agree that when we talk we try to get to know each other more then!" he declared, his eyes twinkling in that way that made Hinata melt inside.

Hinata giggled and then looked down at her hands. "Well...maybe we could take turns asking questions about each other? So that...so that we can learn faster…" she trailed off with a nervous giggle as Naruto blinked at her before a big smile grew on his face.

"That's such a sensei thing to say Hinata." he laughed, causing Hinata to blush deeply. "But I like that idea! Should we start now?"

Hinata stiffened. It was her idea and yet the thought of jumping right into it had her butterflies fluttering madly. "Oh! I...um, now? I...okay then..."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, just a few...and you have to be honest, okay? We're good friends. No judgment!"

Hinata giggled and took a deep breath. "Okay...you go first." she murmured, glancing at him with her huge pearl eyes.

"Me? Alright then...hmm let's see…" Naruto shifted to get into a more comfortable position that allowed him to face her better. He looked away in deep thought until a smile came to his face and he looked at her again. Hinata squirmed under his gaze, nervous about what he might want to know.

"What's your favorite color?"

Hinata stared at him. "That...that's the 'real stuff' you want to know?"

Naruto chuckled. "Hey, there are still some basics I need to know, like your birthday." he smiled.

Hinata giggled then. "Blue…" she whispered, long eyelashes fluttering as she looked at him.

Naruto blinked. "Blue? Not...purple, maybe?"

Hinata shook her head with a smile. "Huh, woulda thought maybe...since you wear a lot of purple." Naruto muttered with an amused shrug. "Okay, what about your favorite food?"

"No, it's my turn now." Hinata pointed out softly, her eyes dancing with humor.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, ha ha, my bad. Okay go." he said excitedly.

Hinata smiled and hummed in thought. It was quite hard to think of a good question, since Hinata actually knew quite a bit about Naruto thanks to many years of watching him from afar. But she didn't want to reveal that quite just yet.

Naruto watched as Hinata thought of a question and couldn't get rid of the smile on his face. She was just so adorable and gorgeous and sweet. Tonight she was wearing a form fitting black jacket and black athletic leggings and her hair was sexily mussed up from her dancing, her full lips were rosy from the cold and they looked so damn kissable it was unbelievable. He felt so happy, excited and nervous to have her attention that it was killing him to be sitting still like this, he just wanted to go sprint laps around the lake to release his pent-up energy and elation but he wouldn't because he just wanted this moment with her to never end.

"Which ramen is your favorite?"

Naruto slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned loudly. "Ohh, Hinata! Just pulling out the hard ones right off the bat huh? Jeez, that's so tough...ughhh" Hinata laughed as Naruto grumbled and hummed to himself.

"I mean it depends on my mood, honestly. Sometimes I want something really heavy and meaty and so I go for the tonkotsu, other times I want something a little lighter and I get miso...I dunno maybe miso?"

Hinata giggled. "I think that suffices...your turn."

Naruto sighed in relief. "Okay I take back my last question about the food, I want to do a harder one too." He was thinking hard until he grinned mischievously. "What's your favorite jutsu?"

Hinata gasped. "Oh...that is hard...let's see…" Hinata closed her eyes momentarily, feeling uncomfortable about what she wanted to say. _No judgment._

"I think..the jutsu I'm most proud of is my Gentle Fist taijutsu. It is what makes me a Hyuuga, and I'm proud to be able to wield such an ancient kekkei genkai like the Byakugan. But...for a long time I was not confident about my Gentle Fist abilities. The fact that Hanabi-chan, my younger sister, and Neji-nii-san, my cousin who is part of the Hyuuga Branch family, were better than me at Gentle Fist, made my father angry for a long time. And that caused me...a lot of pain." she said softly. Naruto's smile had faded and now he was just looking at her, listening.

"Today I am happier with my Gentle Fist. I am not a natural at it like Neji or Hanabi, but I know that if I keep working on it, it will get better." she finished with a small smile.

Naruto smiled back. "I'm glad you are happier. But I personally don't think that your Gentle Fist is the only thing that makes you a Hyuuga." he replied.

Hinata looked at him with wide eyes. He just smiled faintly and shrugged. "There are lots of things about you that I bet neither Neji nor Hanabi have. Like, your sister is cool and all, but no offense, she's a little over the top." he chuckled. "You're just...calmer, more patient, level-headed...more _heiress_ -like. I can't picture Hanabi being the clan leader, no matter how strong she is."

Naruto glanced at her when she remained silent. "Sorry, hope I'm not crossing a line."

Hinata shook her head slowly. "No...th-thank you, for what y-you said. No one's really ever…" she broke off as emotion rendered her speechless. Naruto straightened in concern and tentatively laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey...it's okay." he murmured.

 _She holds so much pain,_ he thought sadly. _I know what that's like._

"We can stop?" he asked.

"N-no, I'm okay, I have another question." Hinata said, giving him a shaky smile. Naruto chuckled.

"Okay, shoot."

"How do you…how do you always pick yourself back up when you get knocked down? How do you push yourself to keep going, no matter what?"

Naruto smiled briefly before looking out at the lake. "Well...I guess it's just because of the way I grew up. I was...an orphan, and most people in the village have shunned me for as long as I can remember. Then at the Academy, I just wasn't doing well at all, you remember...so, there were just so many times when I was thinking 'why bother', you know? So many times I just didn't see the point of trying."

"But right when I was hitting rock bottom, something good would happen. I met Teuchi and Ayame-nee-san, and they were the first people in the village to be kind to me and let me eat their food even when I didn't have enough money to pay. The Third Hokage checked in on me from time to time, and he always helped me feel better when I was down in the dumps. And then later, I was able to graduate from the Academy and I had my team with Sasuke and Sakura and Kakashi-sensei and...that was...the happiest moment of my life." Naruto paused as he endured a few waves of nostalgia.

"Anyways, the point is that I saw that good things do eventually happen, even to people like me, and it made me realize that no matter what, you just gotta keep going, even if it gets rough, because it can and will get better. So I made it my nindo so that I never forget that." he said, smiling lightly at the moonlit lake.

Hinata gazed at him with a happy smile. "That's wonderful Naruto-kun. I want to be able to think that way more often."

He smiled at her. "You should! And you can. It can be your nindo too, you know."

Hinata blushed. "Oh...I would like it to be very much...would that be okay?" she asked softly.

Naruto laughed. "Of course! I don't own it, and I'm happy to share. The more the merrier, right?" he grinned.

Hinata laughed softly. "Okay. Thank you."

Naruto turned to face her fully. "Okay, but you have to do it right. Here, raise your hand like this." He raised his right hand to shoulder height. Hinata tentatively mimicked him. "Okay now repeat after me. I, Hyuuga Hinata…"

Hinata took a deep breath. "I, Hyuuga Hinata…"

"Solemnly swear to uphold the honorable, prestigious, almighty nindo of Uzumaki Naruto…in which I promise never to give up, and to never go back on my word...until the day I die."

Hinata giggled her way through the declaration, wiping away tears that luckily she could pretend were tears of mirth.

Naruto held out his hand to shake hers. "Great, welcome to the club, Hinata!" he grinned wolfishly, grasping her pretty hand with his. Hinata smiled big and just bowed her head, mainly to hide the overwhelming blush.

Naruto sighed and gazed up at the sky. "Whoa, look at the moon!"

Hinata and him looked up at the sky for a moment. It was a clear night, and the moon looked huge. Naruto leaned onto his back with a grunt, his head resting on his hands, and stared up at the moon and the hundreds of stars dotting the sky. "You should lay back and look at it like this, Hinata!"

Hinata blinked and slowly shifted so that she could lean back a couple of feet beside Naruto. She delicately laid back and drew up her feet so her knees were pointing to the sky.

"Cool, huh?" said Naruto. Hinata hummed her agreement.

"Alright, another question?"

"Okay." replied Hinata, gazing at the stars with the boy she has loved all her life, unsure if she was dreaming. If she was, she didn't want to wake up.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Hinata giggled softly. "When I grow up?" she repeated.

"Yeah." Naruto grinned lazily.

"Well...recently I decided I want to try and become Hokage."

Silence. Naruto stared at the dark sky, eyes like dinner plates, mouth slowly gaping open.

"...H-Hokage?"

"Mhmm...do you think it would be a good idea?"

Naruto was beginning to sweat, and he shifted uncomfortably. "I, er, well...of course, that's a great idea…"

Hinata was quiet. Naruto gaped like a fish until he rolled onto his side.

"For how long have you wanted to be…" he trailed off as he saw Hinata practically shaking with laughter, her hand covering her mouth while her eyes were shut tight.

"Hinata? Why are you...wait was that a…. _ughhhh_!"

Hinata burst into peals of laughter as Naruto rolled back onto his back and rubbed his face in frustration, a few laughs escaping him as well.

"Kami, Hinata, that was mean. I was literally thinking I may have to fight you to the death for Hokage, especially since we have the same nindo now!"

Hinata just giggled, as she turned her head to look at him playfully. "S-sorry." she gasped.

Naruto smirked. "That's alright. Don't worry. I'll get you back for that one day."

Hinata finally quieted down and smiled up at the sky. "Education Chairman…" she said softly.

Naruto slowly turned his head to stare at her, his eyes wide as a lopsided grin began to form on his face. "Really?"

Hinata nodded, her cheeks tinged pink.

She jumped slightly when Naruto barked a laugh. "Ha! Well you don't have to worry about that at all. You've already got it in the bag." he grinned.

Hinata chuckled. "And why is that?"

Naruto glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Because, when I'm Hokage, I'll make you my Education Chairman…er...woman."

Hinata giggled. "You couldn't just give me the position just because you want to, Naruto-kun. That's nepotism."

Naruto frowned. "Nepo-wha?"

"When you give positions of power to someone just because they're your friend or family, regardless of whether they deserve it."

Naruto looked at her. "And why wouldn't you deserve it?"

Hinata shrugged. "Well, there will probably be many qualified candidates to choose from, so...you'd have to choose the most qualified one, even if it isn't me."

Naruto huffed and rolled his eyes. "Okay then. Well just make sure you are the best then. Although I highly doubt anyone will come close to you." he said, thinking about his conversation with the Chairman and the Hokage.

Hinata smiled. "Thanks."

Naruto smiled back. "Your turn."

Hinata thought. "Well, I already know you want to be Hokage...so I guess my question is, what would be your second choice?"

Naruto hummed. "Well...huh. I mean there is no second choice for me, Hinata. I dunno if I could answer that." he replied.

"Okay...well pretend if you had stayed a civilian all your life, instead of a shinobi. Pretend being a ninja was never your goal. Do you know what you would be?"

Naruto grunted in thought as a smile slowly spread on his face. "Funny 'cause I never really thought about that til now but I think I have an answer. I'd open my own ramen restaurant!" he said with a laugh.

He partially sat up. " _And_ , I'd grow a lot of my own vegetables and have my own chicken and pig farm, so everything would be freshly made everyday! I'd run poor Ichiraku out of business!" he exclaimed, waving a hand at the starry sky.

Hinata giggled with him. "I like that idea a lot. If I were a civilian, would you let me be your sous-chef?"

Naruto turned to stare at Hinata, his heart thumping in his chest. "Yeah...are you kidding?" he said softly, a smile on his face. "My food would be terrible without you, come on…"

Oh Kami, he was about to have daydreams of him and Hinata kissing in a kitchen for the next few days now.

He leaned back down, glancing at Hinata as he moved. The arm closest to him was laying on the rock at her side, while her other hand was resting on her stomach.

' _Eventually you could initiate light physical contact, maybe hug them or put your arm around their shoulder.'_

Naruto slowly slid his left hand to rest on the rock on his side and glanced down. Their hands were about a foot apart from each other. He had made her laugh, paid her compliments, and given her his sole attention for the last hour. Maybe he could…?

"What is your biggest fear?" he asked.

Hinata inhaled and kept her eyes on the stars.

Naruto moved his hand towards hers one inch.

"The caged bird seal." Hinata whispered.

Naruto paused in his secret mission and picked up his head. " _What?!_ They...they wouldn't do that to you, right?" he asked incredulously.

Hinata sighed. "As long as the clan is separated into the Main and Branch family, the threat of it will always be there. I was very afraid of it happening to me when I was younger. Today, since I have improved with my Gentle Fist, I am a bit less afraid. But...I have nightmares…" she said in a whispery voice.

"I'm not so much afraid of the sealing itself so much as what it would mean. I wouldn't have the choice to do anything I wanted to do if the Main family didn't want me to do it. They would decide where I lived, what I did for work, who I married, and even how many kids I could have. I d-don't want to live my life as a s-servant. I don't w-w-want to marry a s-stranger instead of the o-one I l-love."

Naruto stared at Hinata, distraught at the idea of Hinata being made a servant, marrying someone she didn't know.

"I fucking hate that seal!" he hissed hotly. "I fucking swear, Hinata, if that seal isn't gone by the time I'm Hokage, I'm going to march right into your house and threaten to Rasengan their asses unless they get rid of it!"

Hinata stared back at him with wide eyes. "Would you?" she breathed, her lavender eyes shining.

"I swear it." he declared, staring straight into her eyes. "I will _never_ let that happen to you."

Hinata's eyes teared up and her full lips trembled as she looked away to the stars. Naruto smiled.

"You cry a lot." he murmured, reaching over to poke her arm playfully. Hinata giggled quietly despite her tears and she sniffled and wiped her face. "Sorry."

Naruto laughed. "It's okay. It's your turn now."

Hinata sniffed again.

"What is your biggest fear?"

Naruto chuckled. "Hey, are you stealing my question?"

Hinata smiled. "It was a good question."

He smiled and itched his head, a frown descending on his face.

"It's kinda dumb maybe, but... sometimes I'm scared that I'll lose everyone that I love. I'm scared that, for whatever reason, I'll lose them, and it'll go back to the way it was before...when I was a kid, all alone." he murmured. "Sometimes I'm afraid I'm caught in a genjutsu and that it will dispel and I'll realize none of those good things ever happened."

Hinata looked at him in sympathy. "I don't think that's dumb." she said softly. "Being shinobi, we are more prone to losing people close to us, especially our comrades. But, your fear is a common one. I worry about losing my family members or teammates or my sensei...but it makes me feel better to have faith in their strength and trust that they will be okay. And...when you are Hokage, you will protect us all, right?" she smiled at him.

Naruto gazed at her intensely. " _Of course._ " he said vehemently.

Hinata smiled. "Then there's nothing to worry about."

Naruto's hand moved an inch.

"You're right...thank you."

"You can go now." she said.

Naruto looked up at the moon, frowning as a thought came to him. Would it be too bold to ask?

"Before, when we were talking about the caged bird seal, you said you wouldn't want to marry a stranger instead of the one you love. Is there...someone you'd rather be with?"

Hinata's heart stopped. Her face was blazing. She didn't realize she had said all that just before! _What should I do? We said we would be honest with each other…_

"...Yes."

Naruto looked at her. "Really? Who?"

"It's my turn now."

"Wha?...aw come on...you barely answered that!"

"I did answer it. It was a yes or no question, and I said yes." she murmured.

Naruto grumbled. "Okay...fine."

His hand moved an inch.

Hinata swallowed to calm her beating heart. "What was your most embarrassing moment?"

Naruto instantly knew the answer and he groaned. "Ohh, Hinata...damn it. Do I have to?"

Hinata smiled. "Please? I promise I won't laugh."

Naruto glanced and her and then sighed harshly. "The time I accidentally kissed Sasuke…" he muttered under his breath.

Hinata smiled wide. "I remember that."

Naruto threw a semi-glare her way. "Hey, you said you wouldn't laugh!"

"I'm not laughing. I'm smiling."

Naruto sighed in defeat.

His hand moved an inch.

"Okay. So, who would you rather be with?"

Hinata gasped softly. He wasn't letting it go! _Oh no...oh no, oh no, oh no…_

Hinata felt sweat break out on her forehead. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. This could be it! This could be the chance she's been waiting years upon years to have! _Could I just tell him now? But, we are just friends...it's too soon...I'm...not ready!_

"...Pass."

"Pass? Who is th-...wait, you can't do that!" Naruto exclaimed, sitting up in surprise. "You can't pass!"

Hinata avoided his gaze. "I'm sorry...I...just can't answer that right now…"

Naruto just looked at her. He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it.

"I promise I'll tell you one day." Hinata whispered, looking at him then. Her lavender eyes sparkled with the reflection of hundreds of stars.

Naruto decided to quickly let it go. Perhaps it was a good thing she didn't tell him. He wouldn't know what he would do if he knew the guy Hinata wanted to be with. It made him wonder just how much Hinata would rather be with this anonymous person. Maybe, if he continued to talk to her, she would start to see him that way instead.

"Oh, it's okay Hinata. You don't have to tell me everything. I just wish I knew we were doing passes. I would have passed that last question!" he said lightly, leaning back down beside her. He glanced at his traveling hand. It was so close to hers! Just a little bit more and they would be touching.

Naruto took a calming breath and steeled himself, coaching himself to remain casual no matter what. _Just be cool..._

His hand began to move.

"Why did you leave for so long?"

His hand stopped.

"...Huh?" he asked, surprised.

"Why did you go away for three years..with Jiraiya-sama? I always wondered why."

Naruto's mouth ran dry. He left because Jiraiya and Tsunade wanted to throw the Akatsuki off of his trail while Jiraiya trained him to better control the Kyuubi and put its chakra to good use. But this was top top top secret information. She couldn't know he was being tailed by Akatsuki. She couldn't know that he was the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

How would he ever be able to tell her that the fox demon was inside of him? How could he be with Hinata and keep such an enormous secret from her? What if he suddenly lost control of the Kyuubi and hurt her? He would never forgive himself.

Hinata was the Hyuuga clan heiress. No matter how nice she is, she couldn't possibly see him as potential relationship-material once she knew about the fox. Her clan would never let her be with him...and she probably wouldn't want to be with him either.

He stared wide-eyed at the sky. Naruto couldn't believe that he never gave this much thought before. How could he have been so stupid? To even think that he would have a chance...to even dare to forget about the fact that he wasn't like everybody else.

"...Naruto-kun?"

"...Pass." he croaked.

He felt Hinata's eyes on him and he smiled weakly. "Sorry, but...I just-"

"It's okay." she said quickly. "I understand."

He slowly turned his head, and they looked at each other. Hinata gave an encouraging smile, and he returned it, although it was strained.

His hand slowly began to move back to his side.

He didn't even absorb what happened over the next half hour. Hinata had yawned, and they agreed to stop their conversation there so that they could get some rest. They walked back to the village and said their goodbyes. He made it to his apartment and headed straight to his bed, kicking off his clothes as he moved. He threw his sheets over his head and clenched his eyes shut.

But he was still able to see the huge, fire-red fox staring back at him.


	18. Chapter 18

**(A/N): Woohoo another couple of chapters :) Really trying to move this story along because I already have another NaruHina AU plot up my sleeve and I cannot wait to share it with you all one day :)**

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – THE PARTY**

Naruto and his team spent the next week in Hado, a town about twenty miles south of Konoha, for their weekly patrol mission. Yet again, no action from any tall hooded puppets. Naruto was almost impressed to see even Sai exhibiting signs of frustration, his usual strange smile nowhere to be found by the end of their weekly trip. Sakura was positively livid on the ride home. The December weather was getting into full swing, and flying at high altitudes on ink birds was no longer a fun experience.

Despite his desire to solve the kidnappings that had been happening left and right a month prior, even Naruto had to admit that it all was starting to seem like a waste of time. They weren't finding out anything new about the puppets, nor where they came from, what they wanted, or why they were committing these crimes.

And so when Naruto came into Tsunade's office to report with the rest of Team 7 the day after they returned from Hado, Naruto launched quickly into a loud rant.

"Baa-chan! We can't keep doing these patrol missions any longer. Nothing is happening anymore! We were all over Hado all week, every day and every night, and we didn't catch one puppet! The local police said no one's been kidnapped in over a month. And by the way it is totally freezing outside and traveling by ink bird every week is just crazy I literally couldn't feel my toes for hours when we got back last night and-"

" _Naruto._ "

Naruto ceased his rant and blinked at the exasperated Hokage.

"May I speak?" she drawled, eyeing him tiredly. Naruto rubbed the back of his head and nodded sheepishly.

"This will be the last week of patrol missions. I am aware that our shinobi are coming back with no new evidence or run-ins with the puppets. I am also getting notes from neighboring towns that they have not experienced any new kidnappings for almost three weeks. Therefore I have no choice but to cease our patrols until there is reason to start back up."

Naruto, Sakura and Sai looked at the Hokage in surprise. "Oh…" Naruto said dumbly.

"Hokage-sama, what will be done about those already kidnapped?" asked Sakura.

Tsunade poured herself some tea. "We will consider collaborating with other hidden villages to send out special teams to do a longer-term search and rescue for the harder hit towns. I don't want to continue to spread our teams too thin. The End of Year festival is coming and we will have high profile individuals visiting, including the Fire Lord and the Mizukage, so we need to ensure local security is sufficient."

The team nodded in understanding. They proceeded to finish up their mission briefing with Tsunade before departing from her office.

"Thank Kami we won't be doing patrol anymore!" Naruto said as they walked out of the Hokage Tower.

"Thank Kami indeed." quipped Sai, who was starting to get better at least at demonstrating his annoyance.

"It will be nice to finally get to hang out with friends - I haven't seen Ino, Tenten and Hinata in ages!" agreed Sakura. "Maybe we could all get together once everyone comes back from their last patrol missions.

"Yeah...would be nice…" said Naruto slowly.

The last person Sakura mentioned had been plaguing his mind since their last meeting, and it wasn't always in a good way anymore. He cringed every time he was reminded of the end of their long talk, mentally slapping himself each time. He wondered how weird he must have sounded, not being able to answer a seemingly simple question about why he went away. Why oh why did she have to ask such a question?

But he was glad she did. If she didn't he would have held her hand. And if that had gone well then who knows. Maybe they would have kept talking. Or maybe they would have kissed. And they would get even closer before he'd finally remember that yes, there was a giant demon fox sealed within him like a concealed bomb.

It wasn't that he thought Hinata would straight up run away from him screaming her head off. He felt she would be able to take it well, even be understanding about it. But would he remain potential dating material? Absolutely not. And who could blame her? Who would want a guy with so much...baggage?

And so, a couple of days later, Naruto sighed while he sat in Tsunade's office, reading through boring paperwork. For once, he was truly trying to read in effort to get his mind off of other things…

"Alright Naruto, what is it? You've been sighing all afternoon." asked Tsunade from her desk.

Naruto straightened slightly in his chair and kept his head down. "Nothing...sorry."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at his uncharacteristic body language. "Are you sure?"

"Yup!" Naruto finally finished his last paper and dropped it onto his finished pile. He stood up to haul the stack of papers to Tsunade's desk for her last review. Tsunade looked at him over the top of her glasses while she swiped one of the papers, scanning briefly and humming at certain things catching her eye.

"Looks good." she said. Naruto nodded and turned to begin packing up his things. Tsunade took off her glasses.

"Naruto."

He turned to regard the Hokage, an eyebrow slightly raised. "Yes?"

"I want you to start sitting in some meetings with me. Take notes. Maybe organize some materials for my discussions. What do you think about that?"

That definitely peaked his interest. "Wow really? Sure!"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. I think it would be good for you to start listening to actual discussions I have with people in the different public departments and with visitors from other hidden villages. I can't have you in all meetings, but definitely the lower priority ones you can sit in on. Consider this your reward for doing well with Rioshi."

Naruto finally smiled. "Thanks, Ba-Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade pursed her lips. "There is one thing you need to do before I get you started, however…" she looked him up and down. Naruto frowned at her staring.

"Er, what?"

"I want you to sharpen up a bit. Go buy some new clothes for the office. More formal, business-like clothes. _No orange._ Black is fine. And cut your hair."

Naruto's eye twitched as she ranted at him. "But, I...uh... _wait_ , my hair? What's wrong with my hair?" He stared at her in shock, his hands automatically shooting up to grip his blond locks.

"It's overgrown, Naruto. You're starting to look like your Inuzuka friend. It's not professional enough."

"Like _Kiba!_? How could you say that, my hair is _way_ better than his! This is crazy, I don't see why it needs to be cut it's not like it gets in the way. I can get the clothes but...the hair?"

"I had a feeling you were going to be difficult about this. Shizune!"

Naruto jumped as he heard the office door open and shut quickly. He turned to see Shizune locking the door with a large silver key. She straightened and waved at Naruto. "Hi, Naruto-kun!" she said cheerfully. Tonton oinked next to her.

In Shizune's hand was a pair of scissors.

Naruto's eyes widened. He began to back away. "N-no, you, you can't do this!"

In a flash, two amazingly strong hands griped his shoulders and yanked him backwards, making him fall into a chair with a shout.

"Come Shizune! It's hard to keep him down."

Naruto grunted and struggled like a trapped animal as Shizune advanced, but Tsunade had him in one of her famously strong grips.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, it'll be fine! Just don't move too much." said Shizune with that kind smile that only terrified him further.

"Baa-chan, Shizune-nee-san, please, you don't have to do this! I'll do anything! I'll treat you both to ramen for a month, no, a _year_!"

"We're doing this for your own good Naruto. So just calm down."

"Please, wait... _no...no…noooooooo_!"

Like a nightmare, all Naruto could do was scream as those scissors got closer and closer.

* * *

On Saturday, Naruto did training for most of the day at Mount Myoboku before transporting back to Konoha for a late lunch and shower. His senses were heightened to the heavens as he stayed on the alert for a certain Hyuuga to pop into his view, fresh from her final patrol mission, but he luckily/unluckily did not see her.

Instead he bumped into Sakura.

"Hey, Naruto! I was looking for you earlier. I wanted to…" Sakura trailed off as Naruto walked up to her.

"What did you want, Sakura-chan?" he asked curiously.

Sakura stayed gaping at him. "Your hair…you cut it?" she gasped in disbelief.

Naruto flushed lightly and self-consciously reached up to brush at his now-short blond bristles on his scalp.

"Er, I didn't want to, but Tsunade and Shizune cornered me in the Hokage's office and forced me to let them cut it…" he said awkwardly, grumbling under his breath about crazy women.

"Oooo…" Sakura cooed in amazement as she reached up to feel for herself. Naruto caught her hand and jerked back.

"Hey hey, watch the merchandise here! You won't believe how much time I spent on it today! It is so much more difficult than my old hair!"

Sakura stared at him. "Naruto…it's short, there's almost nothing you can…you know? Nevermind. I wanted to let you know that I'm having a get together at my place tonight so that we can catch up with all our friends over dinner. You in?"

"Oh...yeah of course, sounds cool." Naruto responded. "Er, _all_ of our friends will be there?"

"Yup pretty much. Sai, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten, Hinata, Lee, Kiba, maybe Shino, maybe Neji."

 _Hinata._ "Oh okay, yeah sounds great. I'll be there."

"Great! Six o'clock and don't be late, I'm gonna have awesome food that will go fast!" she grinned in excitement.

"Ha, okay yeah. See you later, Sakura-chan!"

He completely zoned out as he continued his way home. He would see Hinata that night.

 _Aw mann…_ He just hated how just the thought of her sent his stomach into nervous tingles. Just a few months ago, talking to Hinata wouldn't faze him in the slightest. Now it was something he felt like he needed to prep for as if he were training for a major fight. How could his confidence decrease the _more_ he got to know her?

At least one thing he could be thankful for was Tsunade forcing him to go shopping this week. Because now he had something nicer to wear.

* * *

Around six in the evening, Naruto was the first to arrive at Sakura's apartment, which was only a few blocks down from the hospital.

Sakura paused what she was doing in the kitchen when she heard a few loud knocks at her door.

"Coming one minute!" she called as she covered the boiling pot on her stove before scurrying to her entryway. She opened it to find Naruto, standing there in a new black jacket with orange trim lining the zipper. A blue and white striped scarf was around his neck, and he wore dark blue jeans and black boots down below.

"Hey Naruto, you're early! Aww, look at you with your new look! Could it be my amazing sense of fashion is finally rubbing off on you?" Sakura giggled as Naruto squeezed past her in a huff.

"Please! I barely look any different. No need to flatter yourself." Naruto sniffed, smirking at Sakura's annoyed expression. She opened her mouth for a rebuttal when she gasped in remembrance of something and quickly headed back to her kitchen. Naruto finished kicking off his shoes and hung up his jacket, revealing that he had on a white linen button down with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He trailed after Sakura, sniffing the air.

"Hey I smell food, what did you order?" he asked with a greedy look in his eye.

"Oh, I didn't order out. I decided to do some homecooking for once!" Sakura replied with a smile as she checked on the pot on the stove.

Naruto froze, his mouth gaping as he looked at the pot in absolute horror. "You… _cooked_?" he asked in a terrified whisper.

"Yeah! It's one of my favorite recipes that my mom makes! Her famous spicy pineapple-beef stew. Trust me, I know it sounds like a weird combination but the pineapple just brings out all these flavors from the beef and it is soo good!" Sakura chattered as she stirred the pot's contents, oblivious to Naruto's face which was growing paler by the second.

Naruto tentatively peeked at the pot over Sakura's shoulder. "Sakura-chan…I don't think-" He was suddenly interrupted as Sakura whirled around and shoved a spoonful of sauce into his mouth.

"Here, taste it for me?" Sakura asked belatedly as Naruto choked down the sauce. Tears sprang to his eyes as he nearly gagged at the sickly sweet and sour concoction that slithered down his throat. Sakura waited for his opinion with sparkling eyes.

"See? Really good huh?" she beamed. She looked so excited that Naruto couldn't bear to shoot her down. _Just this once, Sakura-chan…_ he thought in resignation as he remembered his surprise party. He gave her a weak smile.

"Mmm, yeah…it's great." he forced out, blinking away his tears as much as he could. Sakura blushed lightly at his compliment and turned around to keep stirring, humming happily.

A knock came at the door, and Sakura covered the pot before going to see who it was. Naruto took the chance to rush to the sink to frantically flush out his mouth.

"Oh hey Hinata!" Naruto froze, his hand cupped by his mouth as he heard an achingly familiar soft voice greet Sakura. He hurriedly dried off with a hand towel and nervously straightened his shirt before he shuffled to the kitchen entrance, taking a deep breath to allow a smile to come back to his face.

He turned the corner, and there she was, handing her black peacoat to Sakura to hang up. She was in the middle of thanking Sakura politely when her eyes met his. A shock of electricity shot through his chest and he couldn't help but grin widely.

"Hey Hinata." he said, tipping his chin at her in casual greeting, stuffing his hands in his pockets to regain a sturdier pose. Why did he always feel so awkward with her?

"Oh! H-hello...Naruto-kun."

"Hinata, would you like anything to drink?...Hinata?" asked Sakura. Hinata seemed momentarily flustered by the question, answering a bit belatedly.

"Oh! Um...no I'm fine for now, thank you, Sakura." she said softly, smiling graciously as Sakura nodded and began to make her way back to the kitchen.

"Okay! Well make yourself at home!"

Naruto glanced at Sakura as she walked past him and then focused back on Hinata. "So, how have you been?" he asked with a smile.

"I've been well, and yourself?" answered Hinata. They continued to exchange some niceties.

Hinata had been positively struck dumb by the sight of the drop-dead _gorgeous_ man in front of her when he had walked out of the kitchen a few moments before. She had been transfixed by him. By how tall he was. By his clean appearance with a shirt that showed off his built physique and gave a view of those tanned forearms. By the sexy grin on his face. By the never-ending blue of his eyes.

By his _hair_. It was the cherry on top, the last piece to the sexy puzzle that was Uzumaki Naruto. That haircut transformed him instantly from an overgrown teenager into a full-fledged _man_. He was clean-cut, he was alluring…

And he was staring unabashedly at her as they talked. Hinata strove to control her voice as she nearly shook from the pounding of her heart, to control a monstrous blush from exploding over her face. She could practically feel his energy invading her senses just from him standing in front of her.

"When did you get back?" Her heart skipped several beats as she heard the deep, gravely timbre of his voice, and she quivered under his searing gaze.

"Oh, earlier this morning. We were able to leave early once we got the messenger bird from the Hokage to cancel the mission." she said, relieved she managed not to stutter through that one.

Naruto stood there as her soft-spoken words caressed his ears. "Good. I'm glad you got back okay." he murmured, smiling warmly as he relished the sight of her beautiful eyes.

"Oh noo!" A loud groan from Sakura emanated from the kitchen, and both house guests looked over in concern. Well, Hinata looked concerned. Naruto looked unimpressed.

"What?" he called. _Maybe she finally realized she fucked up the stew!_ he prayed silently.

"I forgot to buy the alcohol! Ugh. Now I'll have to run back to the store." Sakura whined, stomping over to get her shoes.

"Oh, do you want me to come with you?" offered Hinata, to which Sakura just waved her hands.

"No no! Please just sit and relax. I'll only be gone like twenty-five minutes. If you could just watch the stew as it simmers that would be great, it should be ready by the time I get back. Naruto, keep Hinata company and don't eat the stew!"

Naruto nearly snorted but suddenly froze as his brain put two and two together. Bad Cook was leaving Disgusting Food in the hands of Really Amazing Cook.

He plastered a smile on his face and threw his arm around Hinata, who squeaked in surprise. "Don't worry Sakura-chan! I'll be good!"

He kept smiling until Sakura closed the door behind her, and then he removed his arm so that he could face Hinata.

"Okay, Hinata? Thank KAMI you are here. You _need_ to come fix this." Hinata cocked her head in curiosity as Naruto rushed to the window to check if Sakura was truly gone.

"Um, fix what?

Naruto spun his head to look at her with wide eyes, and suddenly his hands were gripping her shoulders.

"The _food_!" he whispered loudly.

Hinata blinked at his desperate expression. "Oh…why what's wrong with it?"

Naruto looked at her as if she were speaking another language. "Uh, Sakura-chan made it?"

Hinata smiled hesitantly. "Oh Naruto-kun…I'm sure it's fine."

Naruto looked at her incredulously. "Have you ever had Sakura-chan's cooking before?" he asked her flatly. Hinata glanced away as she tried to think.

"Um, well I guess she usually orders out…I mean there was one time…well I was cooking and she helped…" Naruto shook his head quickly and grabbed her hand, which caused Hinata's blush to return with a vengeance.

"Come here." he ordered, pulling her into the kitchen in front of the stove. He lifted the pot lid and took the spoon that Sakura had been stirring with. "Taste it." he said, handing her the spoon.

Hinata looked at him strangely but took the spoon. She delicately spooned a bit of the sauce and, after blowing on it a couple of times, took a taste.

Immediately, her beautiful face scrunched up as she shut her eyes and grimaced, wrinkling her nose. Naruto couldn't bear but laugh.

"Oh, my!" she gasped as Naruto gripped the counter in order to hold himself up.

"What did I say?" he snickered, wiping at his eyes. He took a glass from a cupboard and filled it with water from the sink, which she took quickly with a grateful nod.

"Oh wow…what did she put in there?" Hinata said once she recovered. Naruto waved at her impatiently.

"Don't worry just listen: usually I'd tell Sakura-chan straight up that it's bad, but I decided to shut my mouth since I feel like I owe her one for my birthday. But we can't let her serve this for dinner, Hinata!"

Hinata shook her head. "But, I don't know, Naruto-kun. I don't think I can just 'fix it' just like that." Naruto looked at her earnestly.

"Yes, you _can_!" he insisted, taking her hands into his. "Hinata, just think. Sakura-chan is going to serve this thinking it's great, and literally everyone will think it's awful! She will feel all embarrassed and terrible about it. You don't want that to happen to your friend, right?" he pleaded, appealing to her Samaritan spirit. Hinata looked back at him with big eyes and shook her head slowly, and Naruto couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked.

"Okay! So let's figure out how to make this better before she comes back in like…twenty-three minutes! Look, I'll even help you." Something on the counter caught his eye and he exclaimed in triumph, letting go of Hinata to pick it up. "I think this is the recipe she used." he said, handing the piece of paper to her.

Hinata scanned over the recipe. "Hmm…pineapple-beef stew? I've heard of it but never made it. It looks fairly simple though…she probably added too much pineapple…" She looked up at Naruto with renewed confidence.

"Okay, let's do it!"

Naruto grinned hugely and made a victorious fist. "Awesome! Okay so we gotta act fact…what's first?"

Moving quickly and with the help of a clone, Naruto and Hinata removed the beef from the stew and more or less dumped the entire sauce down the drain. Hinata rapidly created a new sauce, using instinct on top of the recipe. Naruto and his clone obediently followed her orders to hand her various cooking tools and ingredients. Before long, the beef was back in the new sauce, and Hinata was stirring and adding ingredients gradually as it simmered.

"Whew! We did it!" Naruto exclaimed as he slumped into a bar stool at Sakura's kitchen island. "You are a miracle worker, Hinata!"

Hinata giggled from her position at the stove. "Well, let's taste it before we call me a miracle worker."

Naruto rested his head in his hand and watched Hinata add a bit more salt. He hadn't really been able to take her in before. She was wearing a soft lavender sweater with a wide cowl neck that revealed the skin all the way down to her collarbone and to the middle of her shoulders. The sweater fell to her upper thigh and hugged her body all the way up, enabling Hinata to look sexy and classy simultaneously. She wore dark wash skinny jeans that almost matched Naruto's. Her indigo hair was pulled into a low, loose ponytail.

She looked spectacular, and Naruto could only shake his head in wonder about this girl who was driving him crazy, making him feel some emotions so deeply that it _frightened_ him.

He hopped off the bar stool and wandered to Sakura's fridge. "Want some cola?"

"Oh, yes please!" Naruto fixed them both a drink and handed one to Hinata, who covered the pot as she took a break.

He leaned against the counter next to her. "So how is your dance coming along? It's coming up soon right?"

He was right. The End of Year festival was coming up next week in fact, in about four days.

Hinata sipped her cola. "Yes, it is coming up soon. Too soon." she answered with a nervous smile. "The dance is a little better but...I don't know. I've never done this before so...I just hope it's what the Hokage wanted."

Naruto chuckled. "Of course it will be, you're going to be amazing! We can celebrate once you're done." he said with a smile.

Hinata looked at him in surprise, butterflies coming to life. "Oh! If you want to..." she said with a little smile.

"Yeah of course! You will deserve it." Naruto grinned. He however still winced on the inside at his own enthusiasm. He didn't want to feel so strongly for her anymore, not since their last talk. _Just calm down, don't get so excited._

"So how do you know how to cook so well anyways?"

Hinata blinked at the question but smiled faintly. "Well, practice makes perfect, I suppose, and I've practiced cooking for a long time. Ever since I was young, before the Academy even."

"Wow, that long? Did anyone ever teach you or did you figure it out by yourself?" asked Naruto as he peeked into the pot.

"Well...at first it was my mom. We would mostly make desserts together, for special occasions. It was always so much fun. She'd let me mix all the ingredients and decorate the cakes and cookies afterwards. Then later after my mom passed...I stopped baking because it would remind me too much of her."

"But there was one really nice Branch family member who was one of our cooks who would try to get me to help her in the kitchen since she knew I liked doing it. With her I eventually let myself start cooking again, and as I got older the cook let me do more things like handle the stove and chop vegetables and clean meat. It made me happy, because at the time like you remember, I wasn't doing well at all in my training with my father and...cooking was the one thing that I felt sure I could do." Hinata concluded in a soft tone, her eyes gaining a faraway look as she swilled the cola in her glass.

Her expression hadn't changed at all as she mentioned the passing of her mother, but Naruto heard the brief sad note in her voice.

"How did she pass...your mom? I mean you don't have to answer that of course! Sorry..."

"No, it's okay. She died giving birth to Hanabi." Hinata said as she set the pot to simmer before going to sit on a stool.

"Wow...I'm sorry." Naruto murmured, watching as she elegantly perched herself. Hinata smiled back.

"Thank you...but don't be." she said softly. Naruto made a half-smile.

"How many Rasenshuriken can you make now?" asked Hinata, her eyes crinkling in humor.

Naruto laughed. "I made three yesterday!" he grinned. "I think it's just chakra control now. I used too much chakra with the earlier ones which is why I was too tired to continue after making one. I'm just trying to figure out what's the right amount of chakra to feed into each one."

"It will depend on how many you want to create." Hinata said with a nod.

"Exactly! So like in a big fight I need to really think about when I want to use them and for what so...it's a lot to think about."

Hinata hummed. "Maybe after the festival we can meet and I can watch you make them with my Byakugan. I can see how much chakra is needed to balance the jutsu."

Naruto nodded in enthusiasm. "Yeah, that would be perfect. And then we can spar." he added with a mischievous smirk. Hinata giggled and nodded.

She glanced down at the countertop and slid off her stool to begin gathering up the knives and other cooking tools they had used. "We should wash these and put them away since they weren't out when Sakura was here." she murmured as she dropped the items into the sink and turned on the faucet.

"Oh, good thinking." said Naruto as he jumped to help her. As he handed her a cutting board he caught her smiling and grinned in response.

"What's so funny?" Hinata bit her lip but continued to smile.

"Nothing…it's just…your hair..."

Blood rushed to Naruto's ears as his hand shot up to his head. "Oh, uh, yeah I know, I told Shizune it was too short but she wasn't listening. You should have seen, she and Tsunade-baa-chan literally didn't let me leave the office until I let them cut it, they're so crazy-"

"I like it."

Hinata tilted her head away to hide her blush as Naruto gaped at her. He ran his fingers through his hair as a hesitant smile grew on his face.

"Yeah?"

Hinata giggled softly. "Mhmm. It looks nice. You look…mature." she murmured, glancing at him quickly before focusing on the dishes in front of her.

Naruto gaped at her. "Say what? You mean I didn't look mature before? Man Hinata…I'm hurt." he whined, covering his face dramatically with both hands.

Hinata laughed. "You did look mature before, but the haircut just adds a little something I suppose. You were maybe a seven out of ten mature before…" she said, a cheeky grin decorating her visage. "But now you are a nine out of ten."

Naruto barked a laugh. "Excuse me?" He reached to lightly pinch Hinata's upper arm, causing her to squeak a laugh. "Why aren't I a ten out of ten?"

Hinata giggled and turned back to the sink, squeezing the remaining water out of the sponge. "We can't be so liberal with the ten, Naruto-kun, otherwise it begins to lose meaning. It should be for extraordinary situations."

Naruto snorted. "Hinata, _I_ started the whole scale from one to ten thing. So I make the rules, not you." He grinned as Hinata looked at him with a tiny smirk.

"It is _our_ joke, not yours, Naruto-kun. So I have just as much of a say in how the scale works."

 _Their_ joke. Something that only they shared, and no one else. Naruto couldn't help but let his heart swell at her words.

Before he could devise a comeback, she handed him a dish towel. "Could you possibly help by drying and putting everything away? I'm going to check on the stew one more time."

He twisted his mouth into a lopsided smirk. "I possibly could." he mocked lightly, grinning at Hinata who rolled her eyes at his teasing. She walked around him to the stove, and a wave of her scent passed his nose. _Does she just bathe in flowers or something?_ he mused in wonder, flinching when he naturally pictured Hinata in a bathtub, washing herself. He turned quickly to the wet dishes to refocus, but his heart pounded as he wiped the various cooking utensils.

They were silent for a moment. Naruto fidgeted with the knife he was drying, glancing at the Hyuuga heiress more than once.

"I like yours too." He had said it so softly that for once Hinata almost didn't hear him. She paused, looking at him.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun?" Naruto flinched and mentally cursed at himself before clearing his throat.

"Your hair…I like it too."

Hinata stared at the blond man who was furiously drying a very dry knife. Warmth began to creep up her graceful neck.

"I never got to say it before, but it was the first thing I noticed when I came back to Konoha earlier this summer and met you in the Academy. Of course, it was nice back when it was short too but…" he glanced at her with a small smile. "The length definitely _adds a little something_."

Hinata gasped and snapped her head back to look at the pot to hide her burning face while Naruto grinned wolfishly.

"Thank y-you…" she said softly.

"You're welcome." he returned teasingly. He bit his bottom lip as he tried to ignore the tingles in his diaphragm. He felt it. There was a dangerous line he was approaching and he needed to stop. It was too easy to flirt. There were quite a few more things he could say, but then he might let something too damning slip. But Kami the rush it was giving him felt so _good._

He was putting away the final utensils when Hinata called him.

"Naruto-kun, could you come?"

He zipped over to her instantly. "Yes, Hinata?"

She turned to him, a spoon of sauce in one hand, the other hand cupped underneath to catch any spills.

"Would you…test it for me?"

Naruto looked at the spoon and grinned at her excitedly before nodding. Hinata smiled nervously and stepped closer with the spoon, and Naruto bent slightly towards her.

His chest tightened as Hinata's soft hand cupped his chin lightly, gently holding his head in place as she brought the spoon closer. His lips parted, and she carefully deposited the spoon into his mouth.

Hinata quivered as Naruto's lips closed around the spoon, underestimating how intimate this would be. His eyes never left hers as she slowly pulled the spoon from his mouth, feeling his mouth suck every last drop from the utensil.

"Mm…" Naruto's eyelids drooped closed as he held the sauce in his mouth for a moment so he could savor the explosion of flavors in his mouth. Beef, peppers, thyme, soy sauce, paprika… and what was that? It must be the pineapple! Somehow Hinata made it work.

"Well…how is it?" Hinata asked anxiously. Her hand was still cupping his chin. Naruto opened his eyes halfway and finally swallowed.

And then he leaned in and pressed his lips to her smooth forehead.

Hinata's stomach did a backflip, and she froze in pure shock, eyes slamming shut. Naruto pulled away slightly after a heartstopping second, his lips making a soft kissing sound.

" _So_ _good_." He murmured against her skin.

Hinata's heart was on _fire_. It was pounding so hard she wouldn't be surprised if it punched a hole through her chest and ricocheted around the kitchen. The hand that still barely held his chin was shaking. She was terrified of opening her eyes, fearful that she would find herself in her bedroom and realize this was all just a dream. How she hadn't fainted yet she didn't know, it must have been the adrenaline coursing through her that forced her to stay awake.

Did he just _kiss_ her forehead?

Naruto didn't mean to kiss her forehead. Well, he didn't mean to kiss it and _linger_. He meant for it to be a platonic peck. But here he was and now he had to do some major backtracking before Hinata freaked out and Jyuukened him out the window.

He pulled back and gently took the spoon from her limp hand with a light grin. Hinata, whose eyes were now wide open, stayed rooted to her spot as Naruto inched around her with a nonchalant expression and proceeded to take a second taste of the stew straight from the pot.

The spell having been broken, Hinata blinked rapidly as her brain kicked back into gear.

 _See, he's just joking! Don't make it into something it's not!_

Hinata took a deep breath and turned to see where he went, slowly processing the sight of him eating from the pot without restraint.

Finally, her mouth could sort of form words. "N-Naruto-kun, you c-can't double dip like that!"

Naruto ignored her. Hinata tried to grab the spoon, but he just caught her wrist and held her away, smirking despite the spoon shoved into his mouth. Hinata exclaimed in protest and tried to bodily push him from the stove, but that was next to impossible. Naruto snickered as they scuffled while he avoided her attempts to stop him. She finally plucked the spoon from his grasp, but he retaliated by snatching a dinner roll from a nearby basket, dipping it into the stew and stuffing it into his mouth as he taunted her with his eyes.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Whaaat? I can't stop Hinata, it's just so freaking good, and I'm hungry!"

Was he going to go to hell for continuing his antics just so that she would keep trying to touch him? Probably.

Suddenly, they heard the front door unlock, and it was comical the way they ceased their tomfoolery. Hinata dove for the pot lid while Naruto guzzled his cola in an attempt to wash down the dinner roll. Their eyes met and they both ducked their heads as they tried to suppress their giggles.

"Hey guys, I'm back! And I brought friends and libations!" sang Sakura as she came through the door, closely followed by Sai, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Shino and Kiba. Naruto and Hinata were lounging in Sakura's living room.

"Hey guys!" greeted Naruto, standing up to fist bump Shikamaru and clap Sai on the shoulder.

"Hinata, how is the stew?" asked Sakura as she headed into the kitchen.

"Oh, it looks great Sakura! I think it will be ready by the time we're ready to eat." replied Hinata, avoiding Naruto's mischievous gaze that would surely make her burst into nervous laughter.

"Ugh, I'm starving, can we eat now?" complained Ino.

Naruto wasn't fast enough to stop Kiba from ruffling his hair. "Oooh, look at you pretty boy!" Kiba mocked, howling with laughter when Naruto smacked his hand off. "Shut up, dog!" he growled. He flushed as the others began to take notice of his new look and he bashfully retold the story of his violent haircut.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Shino and Kiba step over to Hinata, who squealed in surprise when Kiba grabbed her into a tight hug.

"Oh! Kiba-kun...you're..squishing me!"

"Aw but I haven't seen you in soooo long Hinata!"

"Kiba-kun...we just got back from our mission today!"

Naruto felt a burning anger bubble up in his chest as he watched as Hinata's feet briefly left the ground from Kiba's exuberant hug, and he averted his eyes. He stalked quickly over to Sakura, distancing himself from Team 8.

"Yo Sakura-chan, I'm hungry. Is it ready?" he growled as he watched her put some beers in the fridge.

"Relax, Naruto. Go be useful and help Tenten set out the bowls and chopsticks and cups." Sakura shoved a plastic bag of wooden chopsticks in Naruto's hands. He sighed and did as she said, trying to avoid Kiba's annoying voice as he chattered with Hinata and Shino. He was fishing out the chopsticks when he felt a presence next to him.

"Here, put the chopsticks into this cup." Hinata's soft voice emanated from his left. Naruto's stomach did a flip-flop and he smiled in thanks as he dropped the chopsticks into the cup in her hands.

"Moment of truth soon." he murmured with a smirk. Hinata blushed and giggled quietly. "Don't make me laugh too much!" she protested. Naruto just grinned wolfishly.

Just then there were knocks on the door. Sakura opened it to reveal Lee and Tenten.

"Hey guys! Glad you made it." said Sakura cheerfully as the others came by the door to see who it was. "No Neji?"

Tenten sighed as Sakura took her coat. "Nope, he apparently had other things to do." she said irritatedly.

Naruto chuckled. "AKA he didn't want to come." Hinata smiled and nodded. "He didn't" she murmured.

"Alright guys, come serve yourselves!" called Sakura. Ino groaned in relief and sped to the kitchen, closely followed by Kiba and Shikamaru. The kitchen filled with the drone of friends chattering as they took turns spooning stew into their bowls.

Naruto joined the line behind Shikamaru. "So, did you talk to the Hokage about what we found?" he drawled as he picked up a bowl. Naruto flinched and nudged Shikamaru with his elbow to plead with his eyes for him to shut up, fully aware of Hinata standing behind him.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at Naruto, but as always seemed to put two and two together, and turned to face the stove with a faint smirk.

Naruto glanced nervously behind him but found that Hinata was chatting with Tenten. He turned back to Shikamaru. "Yes." he said curtly in a low voice.

"Successful?"

"Yes."

"Gonna tell her?"

"Later."

Shikamaru sighed, but nodded in approval.

Everyone began to file into the dining area to find a seat. Sakura pulled a couple of stools from the kitchen so that everyone had a spot. Naruto trailed closely after Hinata, watching for where she would sit. He mentally cheered when he was able to get a seat adjacent to her at one end of the table, but ground his teeth when Kiba took the other seat next to her. Naruto and Sakura sat at the heads of the long rectangular table.

Once Sakura took her seat they all raised their drinks to toast the evening. Noises of surprise and approval popped up as everyone dug into their meals.

"Wow Sakura, what is this? This is amazing!"

"Mmm so many flavors!"

"I didn't know you could cook like this!"

"How did you make it?"

Kiba pointed at his bowl with his chopsticks. "That is some _kickass_ food right there!"

Naruto immediately grinned wide. "I think kickass is _exactly_ the right word." he said, bumping his knee against Hinata's under the table while keeping his eyes on his food. Hinata flushed at the discreet contact and just smiled at her bowl of food.

"It is delicious, Sakura." she said softly, bumping her knee back as a warning. Naruto snorted.

Sakura blushed in pleasure as she accepted the compliments and proceeded to explain her recipe. The group continued to converse and laugh with each other, sometimes breaking into separate conversations around the table, sometimes all contributing to a group conversation.

Naruto was hyper aware of Hinata next to him. Everytime she turned her head, said something, giggled, put food in her mouth, tucked her hair behind her ear, Naruto's eyes locked on her petite frame. He couldn't believe there was a time when he didn't notice how beautiful she was. Each time they made eye contact was like a Chidori to his heart.

Dinner eventually wrapped up. Some went to get seconds (Choji, Kiba) while others refilled their drinks and spread out around Sakura's living room to converse. Naruto had wanted to follow Hinata back to the couches, but he got pulled into conversation with the men, while Hinata was called to sit with the girls.

"So how's it going Hinata? We haven't caught up in ages!" asked Sakura as she sipped her white wine.

Hinata smiled. "I've been well Sakura. Just very busy, more so than usual…"

"Oh yeah? What have you been up to?" piped Tenten.

"Well, I guess I never got to tell you, but I was asked a while back by the Hokage to perform in the water dance next week during the End of Year festival. So preparing for that has taken up all my time in between missions and teaching."

"What!? That's amazing Hina!"

"Oh my Kami! Wow I'm so proud of you, you will be amazing!"

Naruto glanced over to the living room where the girls were sitting and making a commotion. He watched Hinata giggle shyly while Ino and Sakura spoke excitedly to her, and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of those full pink lips turning into a sweet smile. Looking at her next to the other women in attendance, he silently awed at just how much Hinata stood out from the rest of them. Her beauty, her poise, her grace, totally unmatched. He briefly tried to look at Sakura, and while he could still admire Sakura's pretty smile and carefree persona, his eyes just kept being drawn back to Hinata like a nail to a magnet.

Hinata settled a bit further into the comfy couch and stole a peek at the boys standing a few meters away. Her heart rate spiked a bit as she took in Naruto's tall form. One hand in his pocket, the other casually holding a beer bottle by the neck, his air of confidence as he bantered with his male peers - he looked so good it should have been illegal. He looked every bit the leader he wanted to be. She bit her lip thinking about how she had nearly confessed to him just a week prior. What was holding her back? They were as close as they had ever been in all her years of knowing Naruto.

The kiss on her forehead kept replaying in her mind. She desperately wanted to think that maybe Naruto was beginning to desire her but, given what she knew of his playful personality, she just couldn't be sure. Sakura would always complain of how moronic Naruto was to not have noticed her pretty obvious crush for all these years. While she refused to doubt his intelligence she admitted that Naruto was pretty clueless when it came to romance. But he didn't grow up like everyone else, so he never got a chance to learn all the signs.

Maybe she would finally have to bite the kunai and push herself to send him a clearer message.

She glanced back at Naruto again, feeling a jolt in her chest when they locked eyes. Naruto was in the middle of taking a sip of his beer and paused, holding her gaze for a second before smiling and giving her a wink. Hinata felt her cheeks burn and she quickly turned to face the girls again, who were getting too tipsy to notice her face changing color.

"Yo, anyone got cards? Let's play something!" shouted Kiba. Some noises of agreement were heard. Shikamaru produced a pack of cards from his inside jacket pocket, and they combined his cards with the two decks that Sakura owned. Soon everyone was crowded around Sakura's coffee table as Kiba dealt out the cards so they could play Spoons. Naruto had plopped down next to Hinata on the couch, grinning childishly as the petite girl bobbed up and down from his movement.

Once all the spoons were laid out, one less than the number of players, the party goers began to play, passing cards amongst each other rapidly as they each endeavored to obtain four of a kind. Suddenly Ino grabbed a spoon from the table, and there was chaos as everyone else fought for the remaining spoons. Hinata clutched her spoon, giggling as Naruto placed the inside of his spoon on his nose and gave her a goofy grin as the utensil dangled from his face.

A few more rounds passed, the number of players slowly dwindling as each round left one person without a spoon.

Suddenly Kiba lunged for one of the spoons, causing another chain reaction. Naruto and Hinata shot their hands out at the same time, grabbing the same spoon simultaneously.

"Uh uh, nope." Naruto grinned, tugging the spoon his way. "I got it first!"

"No, you didn't!" gasped Hinata, tugging back.

"Yes I did!" argued Naruto, blue eyes glittering.

"No, you _didn't_!"

Instead of pulling away, Naruto leaned closer, challenging her with his eyes.

"Give it."

"No." she giggled softly.

He grinned, eyes flitting over her face for a moment. She forced herself to hold his gaze, her heart fluttering wildly. She then felt his hand pull away from the spoon.

"Fine." he murmured, casually reclining back into the couch and placing his hands behind his head.

Hinata gave him that playful look before turning back to continue the next round. Two rounds passed, and then it was her, Sakura, and Ino left. Ino squealed and grabbed victoriously at a spoon, and Sakura immediately snatched the other before Hinata could get to it.

"Yes!" crowed Sakura.

"Oh no!" Hinata exclaimed, giggling as she finally backed out of the game. She leaned back next to Naruto, who chuckled as Sakura and Ino prepared to face off.

"We have to let her have something." he whispered to Hinata, who covered her mouth to smother her giggles. Her cheeks flushed as she felt the warmth of his body on her right side.

The game ended with Sakura winning, and everyone went to get more drinks or take bathroom breaks. Soon it was just Naruto and Hinata still sitting on the couch while the others milled about.

Sakura had opened a window to air out the room, and despite having a sweater on, Hinata shivered slightly when a chilly draft blew her way.

Naruto noticed this. _She's cold._ He glanced sideways at her, and then scanned the room. No one was paying them any mind. _I could put my arm around her...would that be flirting? I'd just be trying to help her stay warm, nothing weird about that, right? That's what friends do, right?_

He took a breath and steeled himself. "You cold?"

Hinata glanced at him and gave a small smile. "Oh, just a little maybe."

Naruto scooted closer to her and carefully slipped his arm around her shoulders, his big hand cupping her upper arm. Hinata tensed, slowly looking at Naruto with wide eyes.

He chuckled hesitantly. "Better?"

Hinata swallowed before smiling shyly. "Oh, y-yes, thank you…" she said softly, turning to face the room again, willing herself to remain calm. Their bodies were pressed against each other, and Naruto's hand remained curled around her arm. Her head rested against his muscular arm. He smelled of fresh laundry and men's deodorant and that same Naruto smell and it took everything in her power to prevent herself from burying her face into his side.

"Man, look at them all." Naruto commented, nodding at their drunk friends.

Hinata giggled. "We haven't been able to have fun together in a while." she said softly, still unable to ignore the shifting of Naruto's torso as he breathed.

"Yeah, since my birthday." replied Naruto with a smile. "Did you even drink anything?"

"I had some cola."

Naruto scoffed. "Obviously I mean anything _alcoholic_."

Hinata smiled. "No...it makes me sleepy, and I'm already tired from my mission."

"Have you ever been drunk?" he asked curiously.

Hinata chuckled nervously. "Are we doing the questions again?"

Naruto grinned. "Yes."

Hinata sighed. "Yes there was the one time. Just once." she reiterated, looking at Naruto's raised eyebrows. "Kiba-kun bought some vodka on one of our missions a year ago and made Shino-kun and I drink with him. I was sick all the next day while we were traveling. It was horrible and so I will never overdrink again."

Naruto laughed. "Wow, pretty impressive you've managed to get drunk only once, especially with Kiba, Sakura and Ino as your friends. So what do you like to drink?"

He felt Hinata shift slightly and then finally relax, giving him her full body weight to his secret delight.

"Wine and sake mostly, although...I kind of like tequila." she said softly, a guilty smile on her face.

Naruto snorted. "Tequila?! You drink tequila and manage not to get drunk? Wow, I would love to watch you do shots one day."

Hinata giggled. "What is the big deal if I do a tequila shot?"

Naruto grinned. "Because...you're Hinata."

Hinata turned to look at him. "What does that mean?"

Naruto just laughed and shook his head.

"Tell me!"

Naruto smirked and shrugged. "It's just, you're just so small and sweet. It's just funny to think about you doing hardcore drinking like Tsunade-baa-chan."

Hinata flushed but she managed to scoff. "Small and sweet, yet still punched you across the training field."

Naruto whipped his head to glare at her playfully. "Oi, listen, only because I _let you_ , alright?" he emphasized, bumping his leg against hers as she giggled. "And yeah you kick ass as a kunoichi, but as a person you have always been, you know...small and sweet." he finished with a foxy smirk.

Hinata pouted. "Fine then...well what do you drink?"

Naruto shrugged. "Beer, sake, whiskey sometimes, vodka if it's the only option. Do you like beer?"

Hinata hummed. "Not really, although I haven't tried too many kinds."

Naruto leaned to pick up his half-full beer bottle. "Have you ever tried this one?"

Hinata eyed the label and shook her head. He handed her the bottle. "Try a little. You might like it."

Hinata hesitated. He wanted her to drink from his bottle? "Oh...okay." She took the glass bottle and carefully brought it to her lips, tipping it up to take a small sip.

Naruto blinked as he watched her. Kami, to see her full lips pressed against a beer bottle…

Hinata grimaced a bit as she swallowed and handed the bottle back to him. Naruto chortled. "No? I like it." he said with a shrug, taking a slow swig himself, contemplating the fact that Hinata's lips had just been on the bottle. He was surprised at how arousing that thought was to him. He made to set the beer back on the table when Hinata reached for it from his hand.

"Oh, so you _do_ like it!" he laughed, grinning wolfishly as she took another sip, smiling as she drank.

He took the beer bottle from her. Even though he wasn't feeling that drunk (thanks to the Kyuubi) he was feeling a lot more comfortable, especially in their new intimate position, and he felt the need to get something off his chest.

"So, did you and Kiba ever have a thing?" he asked in a low voice.

Hinata blinked and glanced at him. "A thing?"

"Yeah...like, a dating thing? Like boyfriend and girlfriend kinda thing…"

"N-no, never! He is my teammate, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto inwardly sighed in relief, but a part of him was still feeling petty. "Well, that doesn't mean he is totally off limits. You guys seemed pretty touchy feely earlier." he stated, watching said Inuzuka banter with Tenten and Ino.

Hinata frowned as she went through her recent memories. "Oh but...he is always doing things like that. He just does it to be funny, he doesn't mean anything by it."

Naruto grunted in response. "Okay then."

Hinata took the beer he offered to her. Maybe it was time to be bolder. "Wouldn't you say this is a bit touchy-feely, Naruto-kun?" she asked quietly, taking another small sip.

"What is?" he asked with a frown.

"This." she nodded to his arm around her.

Naruto swallowed and shifted a bit. "Oh...well I didn't think so…" he lied through his teeth. "I just saw you were cold and thought this would help you feel warmer. Is this...bothering you?"

Hinata smiled. "Not at all." she whispered, glancing up at him. Naruto looked back and got caught with her lavender eyes.

"Good." he murmured unwittingly.

"Hinataaaa!" slurred Ino from the dining room. "Come'ere! Why are you so faaarrr?"

Naruto snorted while Hinata giggled softly. "Maybe I should go check on her." she said, though she felt reluctant to leave Naruto's warmth.

Naruto sighed for the same reason but tried to not let it show. "That's okay. Go ahead. I'm going to go to the bathroom."

He watched as Hinata slowly rose from the couch. She immediately rubbed her arms with her hands. "Cold!" she giggled, flashing him that playful smile of hers. He grinned hugely. She was absolutely amazing.

Hinata approached Sakura, Ino and Tenten. "Hey girls." she said.

"Hyuuga Hinata! Or should I just start saying _Uzumaki_ Hinata?" giggled Ino to Hinata's horror. She whipped around her head, but Naruto had already gone to the bathroom.

" _Ino! Shush!_ " she whispered furiously, but the blonde girl only snorted drunkenly.

Sakura, who could hold her liquor a lot better, just sighed. "Sorry about her. But I wanted to ask you Hinata - would you wanna stay the night here? Us girls thought it would be fun for us to have a girls night after the guys leave. I know you are tired too, why don't you just crash here?"

Hinata hummed in thought. "Oh, that would be fun Sakura, as long as I'm not intruding too much."

Sakura laughed. "Of course not. I invited you after all. Great it's set then!"

Naruto came out of the bathroom and saw Hinata was still talking to the girls.

"So have you bought a ring yet?"

Naruto jumped and swiveled to see Sai standing behind him. "Huh?!"

"A ring. For engagement purposes. I have read that when a man develops deep romantic feelings with a woman, the next natural step is to get engaged."

Naruto sputtered, glancing around wildly before gripping Sai's shoulder and roughly pulling him farther away from the main group. "Sai, shut up, alright? No one is getting engaged." he hissed, feeling his cheeks warm up.

Sai cocked his head slightly, that infuriating smile on his face. "Interesting. But you do love her, correct? Are you perhaps worried about rejection? I know that is one reason why many men take a long time-"

"I don't even know what love is, Sai." Naruto interrupted harshly, the words slipping through gritted teeth. _And I probably never will._

Suddenly upset, he pushed past his pale teammate and stalked over to Sakura's entry way, where Shikamaru and Choji were preparing to depart.

"Wanna leave?" asked Shikamaru.

Naruto didn't respond at first, glancing longingly over to the girls where Hinata was giggling over something Ino was saying. He couldn't stay. He couldn't keep doing this to himself. To fall deeper and deeper for her would only increase the pain.

"Yeah, let's go."

The girls looked up as the guys came into the dining room to announce their departure. Hinata blinked at the sudden development and peered over at Naruto, who was not making eye contact with her.

"Okay, thanks for coming you guys!" She heard Sakura say.

"Hinata, do you want us to walk you home?" asked Shino, standing by Kiba.

"Hinata is staying over for a sleepover!" sang Ino, who was still deeply drunk. Hinata smiled and quietly thanked Shino for the offer. With a final wave, the men began to file out. Hinata tried to catch Naruto's eye, but he continued to the door without acknowledging her.

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. "Good night, Naruto-kun." she called softly, wondering how Naruto's behavior towards her had somehow changed. Was it all in her head?

Naruto paused and turned to partially look at her. He smiled, but she immediately noticed it didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh, good night, Hinata." he replied, tipping his head at her before continuing on. Hinata's heart cracked. Had she perhaps said something wrong? He had been so friendly earlier…

"Hinata, come on let's go raid Sakura's kitchen for dessert!" giggled Tenten, skipping into the kitchen with a giggling Ino following her. Hinata smiled faintly and slowly rose from her spot, trying not to show that internally she was crumbling.


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN – THE DANCE**

The End of Year festival was here.

The actual festival was today, but the celebrations had already begun since the day before. Tourists from surrounding towns have occupied all the hotels. Konoha residents had decorated their doorways and windows with holiday decorations. Shoppers were bustling about taking advantage of special sales. Restaurants were offering holiday menus. And in just an hour, the entire village would pour into the Konoha ninja arena to view the the End of Year show. The show that Hinata would be headlining with her dance.

Hinata was already at the arena, in one of the backstage rooms where performers could get ready. Attendants were bustling around her as they helped her get dressed in her performance kimono that she had picked out a few weeks prior. The best part of the kimono was that it would keep her warm and still allow good movement as she performed in the outdoor performance area.

Her hair and makeup had already been done before. When the kimono was done, she would just wait until she would be called up for her performance.

Two different women were circling her as they wrapped the kimono around her, chatting as they dressed her, but Hinata was totally tuning them out. Her mouth silently formed words as she mentally went through her various steps and jutsus. Her performance would only be about fifteen minutes long, but that was fifteen minutes of hundreds of eyes being on her and her only, including the Hokage, Mizukage, the Hyuuga main branch (and Neji), Team 8, her girlfriends…

...and Naruto.

She swallowed as the thought of the blonde shinobi watching her sent prickles of nerves through her torso. She hadn't seen him since Sakura's dinner party, and they had parted so strangely, right when Hinata was beginning to feel something was happening between them. She just felt so confused, not knowing what to think. She feared that somehow her and Naruto would grow apart even after they had made such progress as friends. She had been slowly gaining the confidence to start making her feelings for him more clear, but his recent actions have pushed her back into her shell.

"There you go, miss, all done. Very beautiful." complimented one of the attendants as they stood back to admire her. Hinata smiled faintly and bowed carefully in appreciation, trying to avoid destabilizing the decorative pins in her hair.

"Thank you both very much." The two women departed from her room. Now all she could do was wait.

Precious minutes passed as Hinata paced around her room, mumbling to herself as she went through her steps a few more times. The Hokage's words rang in her head.

' _I'm sure your clan would be happy to have you represent them in such an age-old tradition.'_

Hinata took a deep breath. _Confidence...confidence. Just fifteen minutes. Don't think of everyone watching you. Just focus on the dance._

' _It would not do for you to embarrass the clan in front of the entire village.'_

Heat rushed to her cheeks and she felt dizzy. _No...don't freak out, don't freak out._

She shuffled to the vanity table to take a sip of water from a cup. She took a few more deep breaths, trying to meditate like Kurenai-sensei once taught her to do to relieve her nerves back when she was younger, but the nauseous feeling persisted.

 _Kami, please give me strength._

 _Tap tap tap._ Hinata blinked and turned, looking around for the source of the sound she just heard. She furrowed her brows when she caught sight of a rather large reddish toad sitting just outside the window. It raised its webby amphibian hand against the glass.

 _Tap tap tap._

Hinata slowly advanced to the window and opened it cautiously.

"Hyuuga Hinata?" the toad rasped. Hinata squeaked in surprise.

"Um...y-yes?"

"Message for you." the toad nodded, turning its back to her. Hinata cocked her head in confusion. On the toad's back there seemed to be a small note, along with a single sunflower. She delicately untied the small rope around the toad and took the items.

"Have a good day." And with that the toad leapt away, vanishing into the bushes.

Hinata unfolded the note and began to read.

 _Hey Hinata, hopefully you get this before you actually go on stage. I figured you'd probably be a little nervous at this point. I wanted to remind you that there is no need for you to be nervous. You are one of the most hardworking and talented people I know. You've put the time in. You know what you need to do. There is no question that you are going to blow everyone away. So just relax and have fun. You are Konoha's Number One Most Kickass Ninja! Ten out of ten!_

 _Good luck! (Although you really don't need it). I'll see you afterwards._

 _Naruto_

 _P.S. What do we say about anyone who thinks you aren't kickass?_

"Fuck 'em." Hinata whispered, a grin breaking out on her face that was quickly covered by a hand as she stood in shock. _Naruto-kun…_

A lump formed in her throat and she looked out the window, smiling tremulously as she felt her nervous pangs give way to giddy butterflies. _Thank you…_

She smiled at the small sunflower in her other hand and held it reverently to her chest before slipping it into a hidden pocket inside her kimono. She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror, suddenly feeling invigorated. The confirmation that Naruto hadn't forgotten about her, was still thinking of her, gave her the happy boost she needed.

There was a knock at her door. "Hyuuga-sama, I am here to escort you to the west arena entrance so you are ready to take the stage in about half an hour."

"Okay." Hinata checked herself in the mirror one last time, dabbing away the moisture in her eyes to avoid smudging her makeup. She then made her way to the door, opening it to see one of the stage attendants waiting for her.

"I am ready."

* * *

Naruto slid into the seat next to Sakura, taking in his surroundings as he sat. "Wow, I don't think this place was this packed even during our Chuunin exams."

"Yup, everyone came out for the festival." replied Sakura. "Look, there's the Mizukage next to Tsunade-sama."

It's true. The two Kage sat side-by-side in the center of their respective delegations in the Hokage's box at one end of the arena. Down in the expensive orchestra section, Naruto could see many members of the Hyuuga clan seated together, Hinata's father, as stoic as ever, and her sister Hanabi sitting next to each other, while Neji sat a few rows behind. He was sitting opposite from the Hyuuga in the mezzanine along with Sakura, Sai, and all of their Rookie 11 friends. Up behind him he could hear the high-pitched chattering of Hinata's students, Konohamaru's voice distinct.

 _I hope she liked my message,_ he thought to himself. For the past few days he sought to avoid the Hyuuga heiress to try to force his feelings to calm down for once. He had gotten too carried away with her at Sakura's. But the guilt overtook him earlier that morning as he realized he was being a bad friend. Hinata deserved a few words of encouragement before her show. He knew that she held herself to such high standards that she could psyche herself out. He hoped the flower hadn't been too much.

The crowd suddenly began to whoop and cheer as they saw Tsunade rise to her feet and walk to a podium in her box.

"Oh look, it's starting!" said Ino.

"Citizens of Konoha and honored guests, I welcome you to the 117th annual End of Year festival performance." said Tsunade, her voice booming across the huge arena. More cheers and applause followed. Tsunade briefly made a few remarks before signaling that the performance could begin.

Naruto fished the performance pamphlet out of his coat pocket. Hinata's dance was actually the last of four different performances being put on that evening.

He grumbled. "It's going to take forever to get to Hinata."

Sakura giggled. "Relax. The other performances are cool too."

The first performance was a comedy skit put on by the Konoha Jonin, an End of Year festival tradition in which the Jonin were able to joke about political and social events in the community. The Jonin, including Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, Anko, Genma, and Raidou, poked fun at the Hokage, a number of prominent clans (the Hyuuga were not impressed), the Chuunin, the Genin, and even the Mizukage. All the jokes were tasteful and yet uproariously funny, putting everyone in a good mood for the next act.

The next performance featured the Genin choir, in which a group of about twenty Genin sang traditional songs about Konoha, the shinobi lifestyle, and the Five Nations. Their voices sounded ethereal as they echoed in the large atrium-like arena.

Next came an acrobatics performance, in which a number of Chuunin and Jonin used various jutsu and their own physical prowess to do jaw-dropping synchronized leaps and flips. The crowed oohed and aahed, clapping furiously as each performer completed moves that became increasingly bolder as time went on.

Finally, it was time for Hinata to come on. Naruto felt nervous butterflies in his own stomach. He knew she would do well. He was just so antsy to watch her it was maddening.

First a series of musicians walked out on the stage to polite applause. They carried various drums and wind and string instruments.

The musicians situated themselves on a raised platform on one side of the arena. They began to test their instruments, and the crowd quieted down.

Then, one musician strummed a few introductory notes on a shamisen (a Japanese three-string instrument), loud and clear, jarring enough to bring goosebumps to the back of Naruto's neck. A drummer followed up with a few staccato beats in response.

Suddenly, a thick mist began to roll into the arena from seemingly all directions. The crowd murmured as the fog made it impossible to see what was happening on the arena's floor. Then, one could start to make out a shadow in the center of the arena.

Naruto's heart began to beat faster. Slowly, one could begin to see Hinata's form. She was still, standing straight with her hands hidden in her long sleeves. It was still hard to see what she looked like.

One of Hinata's hands slowly began to raise up, palm facing the sky. She held it there until she slowly rotated her wrist, her movements as graceful as a ballerina's. In time with the drums, she rotated her hand from the wrist. Eventually her other hand rose up to mimic the other, and Hinata slowly turned her head, her eyes faraway as she seemed to act like a sleepy maiden who didn't know where she was.

Almost experimentally, she waved one arm slowly in front of her, and magically the mist seemed to move with her. Stepping delicately, Hinata slowly and elegantly arched her arms in various directions, seeming to try and touch the mist all around her. The mist responded intelligently, following her arm's movements, swirling around her, shooting up in little puffs with delicate flicks of her wrists.

The tempo and volume of the music picked up as the rest of the musicians added to the melody. Hinata began to move throughout the arena in a circle. Taking quick steps underneath her kimono, she appeared to be gliding through the mist. Swinging her arms around her, a soft smile on her face, she was like a child mesmerized by its surroundings. It was easy to miss the series of hand seals she made.

Suddenly, the mist began to condense and fall. The crowd gasped as liquid water began to fill the arena floor, rising higher and higher as the enormous fog precipitated. When it was done, Hinata had effectively created a four foot pool in the arena, as all arena entrances had been closed off to prevent leaking.

The crowd broke into enormous applause.

"Wow, did you see that?" Sakura cried above the clapping.

"Yeah." Naruto could only grin hugely because his eyes were locked on Hinata, who was now completely visible in all her beauty. She was was wearing a formal kimono. The base color was a sky blue with a delicate pattern of white flowers embroidered throughout the robe. The bell sleeves draped down to her shins, the cuffs lined with deep purple velvet. The kimono was belted at her waist with a slightly darker blue obi, but the kimono parted slightly from her hips down so that one could see she was wearing a lavender slip underneath the kimono. This slip had a design at the neckline that looked like a blossoming lotus flower woven in deep purple and white silk, which was visible through the low neckline of the blue kimono.

Hinata's indigo hair was in a half up half down style, with silver flower pins decorating the bun sitting on the crown of her head. Delicate silver earrings dangled from her ears, and though she was far away one could see that she had makeup, with light purple eyeshadow and peachy lipstick.

Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, exquisite - there was no proper word in Naruto's vocabulary to fit how Hinata looked. The smile had slipped from his face as he just stared at the girl, totally entranced.

The music was a lilting, hauntingly beautiful sequence of string and wind notes. Hinata was now moving slowly on top of the water, her long kimono trailing behind her as she glided like an ice skater. Reaching within her sleeves, she pulled out what Naruto instantly recognized as her water jutsu fans, except these looked different. They were not the usual serrated weapons she used during their spar - they were performance fans with intricate designs embroidered in blue and white silk. She flicked them open and began to arc her arms elegantly in time with the music, fluttering the fans for added visual effect.

Then all of a sudden she froze, holding a pose with her back bent back, face looking up, one arm pointing to the sky, the other held parallel to the water. The music had ceased. Then one of the drummers began to pound his drum.

 _Boom boom boom boom_

It was a steady, ominous, warlike tempo. And suddenly it was clear that the dance was now beginning for real.

Hinata began to move to the new beat, bouncing lightly on her ankles as she began to dance quickly, arcing her arms swiftly in front of her, then beginning a series of back-to-back pirouettes, her long hair snapping as she spun in a straight line down the arena center, her arms held out at the sides.

The water responded to each movement of her fans, and Hinata kicked up waves wherever she went. The string instruments joined in, and Hinata about-faced to dance her way back to the center. She then paused, and then shot her arm out to point to a spot to her left with a closed fan. A small geyser shot up to about Hinata's height. She then pointed to her right, creating an identical geyser.

Hinata moved even faster, twirling in place as she flicked her wrists with her fans still in hand, causing small columns of water to shoot up randomly all in time to the beat of the drums. Naruto began to recognize this from what he managed to see that night at the lake.

Hinata stopped and then threw her arms in the air, fans open. Six geysers at equal distances around her shot up in unison, reaching fifteen feet high before crashing down. The moment they fell to the water, six more rushed up, this time in a wider circle around Hinata. This continued until the geysers were rising each about twenty feet from Hinata.

She then glided back (Naruto wondered how she did that so seamlessly) and executed a series of swift movements with her fans.

A geyser far to the right shot up, followed by another, and then another. This time, they did not fall back down. More and more columns of water grew, not in a circle but in some seemingly random pattern. When she was done, Hinata seemed to move slower, working hard to keep all water columns up at the same time with one fan raised in the air. She then began to lower that arm slowly. The water columns all began to lower in a controlled descent, and when the geyers reached about five feet in height, everyone could finally make out what Hinata had done: she had created an outline of the Konoha Leaf symbol.

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Tsunade especially was smiling and nodding appreciatively at Hinata's artistic salute.

"Excellent chakra control!"

"Indeed. I've never seen water manipulation used this way!"

Naruto puffed up in pride as he heard people marvel at Hinata's skill. He himself was floored by her abilities, despite all he already knew about her talents.

Hinata began doing another series of fan movements. Another crop of water geysers went up one after the other. Hinata dipped and twirled as she completed the new set of geysers and then did the same movement to lower the water columns down to a better viewing angle. This time she had created the ninja symbol for the Land of Water: the four hashes of the Kiri Rain symbol.

Another round of applause occurred, the Mizukage notably appearing pleased with this honorable gesture.

The music was building in intensity, still driven by the booming war drum. Hinata was a flurry of movement, twisting, spinning, stretching as she made her way through a series of new fan movements. There were no more geysers, but the water beneath her appeared to be disturbed by her actions, bubbling and frothing in random areas. It reminded Naruto of Hinata's wave lesson with Konohamaru's group at the lake.

Hinata was slowing her pace as she seemed to be concentrating on a particular section of water about twenty-five feet from her. The water in that space churned and bubbled violently. Hinata swiped and twirled her fans around her fingers, occasionally rearing back as if she was tugging something in front of her. Naruto squinted as he tried to determine what was going on under the water's surface, but it was useless. Upon glancing across from him, he saw Hyuuga Hiashi engaging his Byakugan as he watched the churning water. The expression on the elder Hyuuga's face had changed from an impassive one to something more analytical, intrigued even. Naruto smirked. _Yeah, that's your daughter, stupid old man._

The music grew in volume. A shadow of...something… flickered underneath the water's surface. Naruto frowned. What was in there?

Hinata began to physically pull herself backwards, still managing to move delicately as she appeared to struggle against something. She spun and stretched her arms like a nymph dancing on the water, fans opening and snapping in time with the music. Hinata's face was still beautiful as her expression remained focused. It was clear at this point that there was definitely something in the water, a long shadow that seemed to still be growing swirling under the surface at one end of the pool. The music rose to a crescendo, and Hinata gave one last pull, twisting to stretch an arm all the way behind her.

Something big burst from the water, and the crowd gasped. Water rained down around a magnificent water dragon that crouched catlike, staring down Hinata with a silent snarl on its face. It looked to be about twenty five feet in length and stood ten feet tall, its long tail curling around behind it. Hinata froze in her own deferential pose, holding up her fans in a defense-like position.

Naruto's eyes were wide as he looked at the watery beast and instantly thought back to Hinata's sand horse. _It must work the same way, just with no sand_ , he wondered to himself.

Hinata moved slowly, almost cautiously, swaying gently from side to side. The dragon seemed to mimic her, leaning back and forth, which was met by excited applause from the crowd.

The crowd's attention was pulled to the water dragon as Hinata began to manipulate it. She twirled, lunged, and thrusted, and the dragon responded, gliding snakelike through the water, circling Hinata, twisting in time with the music, snapping its head back and forth. Hinata made the apparition move with her, they danced as a unit as she masterfully directed the dragon with a flurry of complex fan movement. Like ice skaters, Hinata began to glide around the perimeter of the arena, the dragon sailing close behind while she delicately dipped backwards.

Hinata ceased her lap and returned to the arena center, while the dragon continued to circle the perimeter. The drummers were beating a frenzied tempo, and Hinata launched into a new sequence of moves. The dragon trotted elegantly and suddenly kicked off into the air. Gasps and surprised shouts were heard as the dragon sailed around at the crowd's eye-level, eliciting cheers and giddy screams. The dragon suddenly latched itself to the wall in front of the Hokage's box, and the two Kage blinked in surprise as the dragon leered at them, their respective security details tensing in alarm.

The dragon leaped away, floating to the orchestra level, glancing once at the Hyuuga before continuing on, causing some of the elders to flinch back. Naruto's section went wild as the huge dragon passed, and Naruto was able to fully appreciate the detail that Hinata had poured into this jutsu, even seeing the individual scales on the dragon's back. Konohamaru and Hinata's other students squealed in delight as the dragon snorted cold mist at them.

Finally the dragon turned inward, sailing down to Hinata. String instruments sang as the dragon began to swirl around the girl rapidly like a tornado, Hinata spinning and twirling her fans with it. Staring up at the sky as she twirled, Hinata danced with the water dragon as if she were playing with an old friend.

Then the drums boomed rapidly, a tambourine clinked out a final melody, Hinata snapped both arms straight up, fans closed…

...and the water dragon burst into millions of tiny droplets, creating a shimmering rainbow.

The crowd roared with applause and cheers. Hinata held her position, her chest noticeably fluttering from exertion. A shy smile was on her face. A few people began to stand, and suddenly entire sections of the arena were giving standing ovations.

"YAY HINATA-SENSEI!" Hinata's students screamed. The Kage were also standing. Hinata finally lowered her arms and slowly bowed, eliciting another round of cheers. Naruto was grinning from ear to ear as he clapped as loud as he could, feeling a wave of pride so strong that a lump was forming in his throat.

Hinata made a final flick with her fan, and her manmade lake swiftly rose back into fog, concealing her once again. When the fog dispersed, the arena was empty.

As the show had finally ended, the crowd began to exit. "Come on!" said Sakura. "If we hurry we can find Hinata backstage to congratulate her!"

Naruto and his friends pushed their way slowly through the thick crowd, making their way to the lower level where the backstage performers would be. On the way they stopped to pause and congratulate the Jonin and others who had performed. Finally, the group came upon a large crowd, through which they could see flashes of blue silk and indigo hair indicating Hinata was somewhere in the middle of it.

Naruto felt a nervous tingle and hung back while Sakura and the others tried to weasel themselves to the front. He craned his head and could see Tsunade and the Mizukage - evidently they were giving their own congratulatory remarks to Hinata. Once the Kage departed, the crowd parted a little and Naruto could see her. She was sitting in a chair, a water bottle in her hand. She had a smile on her face, but one could tell that she was very tired. He smiled upon watching her giggle as Sakura and Ino threw their arms around her.

"HINATA-SENSEI!"

A rag-tag group of Hinata's students barreled their way through the crowd and quickly surrounding their sensei. Moegi jumped up onto her lap while Konohamaru and Udon stood at her knees.

"Hinata-sensei you were so amazing and beautiful!" Moegi gushed. Hinata blinked in surprise but smiled and giggled while her students fought for her attention. Naruto smiled and leaned against the wall, not wanting to get in the way of Hinata's admirers. A childish side of him wanted to wait until he could have her to himself.

Just then, one of the stage assistants appeared by Hinata's side and bent down to tell her something that Naruto couldn't hear. Hinata nodded when he was done and patted Moegi on the head before setting her on the ground. Their friends began to hug Hinata goodbye before Hinata made her way to a door. Naruto panicked slightly as he realized she was leaving, and he stepped away from the wall, but began to struggle against a large group of people passing in between them.

Just before Hinata turned away, her eyes met his, and she paused for a moment, looking at Naruto before smiling and giving a small wave. Naruto blinked and quickly returned the wave, trying to communicate with a big grin on his face. Hinata seemed to understand and giggled, waving once more before disappearing through the door. Disappointment made his grin fade away. _Damn it!_

"Hey Naruto, the rest of us are going to walk around the festival for the rest of the night, are you coming?" called Sakura.

"Er, yeah I will, just uh...I'll catch up with you." he answered, glancing back at the door Hinata had entered.

* * *

Hinata groaned softly as she slung her heavy tote bag that held her performance kimono and other things onto her shoulder. She was absolutely exhausted, mentally and physically. During the performance her nerves and adrenaline drove her to dance and weave chakra and she barely felt the exertion, but once she sat down in her backstage room she seriously considered just falling asleep right there in the chair. By some miracle she had changed into her sweatshirt and leggings and pulled on a jacket before trudging to the exit.

The cold wind bit at her face as she stepped slowly down the path leading from the arena, now mostly empty as the crowds had headed back to the village center for evening festivities. Sakura had invited her to come out after but she politely declined - all she wanted was her bed.

She shivered under her jacket as she forged on, making a beeline straight for home. Under hooded eyes she barely saw much else than the sidewalk in front of her, but suddenly she sensed someone walking very close by just beyond her peripheral vision. She picked her head up and felt a tingle of surprise to see deep blue eyes staring down at hers.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

White teeth flashed brightly as the blonde shinobi grinned at her. Hinata made a noise of surprise as he wordlessly proceeded to take her bag, hiking it up on his shoulder before gently guiding her hand to take his arm.

"Hey." he replied with a smile. Hinata gripped him tightly as her heart rate picked up rapidly. "I want to say you were freaking incredible, but I don't think those words even cut it."

Hinata blushed vividly. "Thank you, Naruto-kun…" She swallowed before regaining some of her composure. "I received a sweet note of encouragement right before the show and it helped me so much with my nerves. Would you believe, a little talking toad gave it to me?" she added with a smile.

Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand with an embarrassed laugh. "Huh, wow, it talked huh? That's pretty weird." he feigned, grinning when Hinata giggled softly. "I'm proud of you." he added softly, peering down at her.

Hinata looked up at him with shining lavender eyes. "Thank you." she repeated with emotion.

Naruto noticed that Hinata was dragging her feet as they walked slowly down the street, hanging onto his arm a little more than usual. "Are you okay? You must be so tired." said Naruto as he slowed to a stop.

Hinata smiled weakly. "Mm, I am. The show...took everything out of me." she murmured as Naruto scanned her chakra critically.

"Your chakra is pretty low, you should probably go to the hospital looking like that!" Naruto clucked. Hinata just shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I just need to go home and maybe take a food pill. I just need to sleep." she insisted.

Naruto sighed. "Fine then, have it your way." He proceeded to pick up Hinata bridal style, causing her to gasp in surprise as she felt herself in his strong hold once more.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata began to protest, but ceased once she felt overwhelming relief at not having to walk.

Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry, I've done this before." he said with a cheeky smirk.

The sun had went down long ago, and the streets were dark save for the few street lamps dotting the path. Naruto continued to sing praises at Hinata about her dance, recounting his favorite parts.

"The dragon was so freaking cool, like the detail was insane! I think one of your elders shit himself when it flew by and looked at him." he chortled.

Hinata giggled, fully content to be surrounded by Naruto's warmth. "It was supposed to be me acknowledging my clan through dance, but I might have made the dragon look more fearsome in that moment…" she said with a sly smile.

Naruto grinned down at her. "I could tell your dad was impressed though. Maybe he'll be less on your case now, right?"

Hinata sighed and let her eyes close for a second. "That is my hope. I know my father will always prefer me showing my prowess through the Gentle Fist, but this should at least show him that my teaching has not been detrimental my ninja abilities. The council decided a few weeks ago that I should cease teaching after the students have taken their final exam, but maybe now I can ask them to reconsider." she said softly.

Naruto's brows deepened as he listened. "Cease teaching…" he repeated, anger building quickly. "And what would you do then, if you weren't teaching?"

"Heiress things… more clan meetings, Gentle Fist training, diplomatic travel...I don't even think I could do regular missions as much, and...you just wouldn't see me that often…" she said, glancing up at Naruto worriedly.

Naruto unconsciously tightened his hold around Hinata. "Well that is not going to happen." he growled immediately. "We will find a way, okay Hinata? No matter what you clan says. You aren't in this alone."

Hinata smiled and let her eyes droop closed for a moment. "Mhmm…"

Naruto chuckled. "Mhmm? I basically just declared war on your clan and that's all you can say back?"

Hinata chuckled quietly. "I'm tired." she whined softly, earning a laugh from Naruto. "But your support means more than you could imagine, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled. "Tomorrow. Tomorrow we will talk about it, when you are more awake." Damn it all. There he went again digging for more excuses to spend time with her. He was just a glutton for punishment.

"Tomorrow." Hinata agreed sleepily.

They were nearing the Hyuuga estate. "Should I take you to your front door?" asked Naruto.

But Hinata was in her silly state once again. "Mm...my bedroom…"

Naruto blinked. "Er...what?"

Hinata giggled. "My bedroom window...is that way…" she pointed lazily to the right of the main compound building. "There aren't too many guards right now…"

Naruto began to grin. "Do you really want me to? Because I will, you know." He gazed down at her sweet face with pink lips pulled into a cheeky smile. Hinata seemed to toy with the idea briefly before nodding with a giggle.

Naruto snickered and shrugged. "As you wish, Sensei." And with that he went straight into stealth mode, lowering his chakra drastically before clinging to the shadows to inch around the main gate guards.

Hinata tapped his shoulder lightly to point out a clear path between some bushes, and he nodded. Stepping lightly, he balanced Hinata and her bag while inching around shrubs in the Hyuuga garden, pausing behind a tree to check for guards. He was about to keep moving when Hinata tapped him quickly, pointing out a guard coming around the corner. They held their breath as the Hyuuga branch member passed just ten feet away, grinning at each other as they struggled not to laugh.

The guard finally passed, and Naruto sped to his destination, followed Hinata's whispered directions to a window at the far right corner of the compound. Skidding to a stop by the window, Hinata reached over to silently push up the bottom window large enough for her to fit through. Naruto first threw her bag inside before helping Hinata climb inside feet first. When she was almost out of his arms she turned to look at him.

"Tomorrow?"

Naruto grinned. "Tomorrow." he agreed, taking one last look into her pearl eyes. A rustle to his left made both young adults snap their heads in that direction, and it was clear another guard was nearby.

"Go!" Hinata whispered, slipping out of his arms safely into her room. Naruto was about to leap away when her soft hand cupped his cheek, and he froze. When did her face get so close to his?

"Thank you." Suddenly he felt soft lips press tenderly to the corner of his mouth. All background noise faded to radio silence. He was engulfed in the scent of flowers. After a heartstopping second, the lips pulled away with a soft kissing sound. All he saw was a flash of a sweet smile and sparkling lavender eyes before the window suddenly fell shut and curtains were drawn.

Naruto was left standing there with his mouth gaping wide open and a hand slapped to his cheek. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think.

"Hey, who goes there!"

He jolted as if he received an electric shock and managed to leap away just as the Hyuuga branch guard had spotted him. He scampered onto the Hyuuga compound roof, sprinting to the edge and leaping to the next building. His heart was beating harder than it ever had in his entire life. All he could hear was it pounding dizzyingly loud in his ears, and he stumbled while he ran with no destination. He couldn't feel the bitter cold, all he felt was his entire being humming with energy.

Then in front of him he saw the tall post in the village square that he liked to stand on sometimes. Without thinking, he made a beeline for it, breath coming out in short puffs as he ran like mad. Channeling chakra to his hands and feet, he scaled the post like a squirrel in a tree. Reaching the top, he pulled himself into a sitting position, his legs dangling off the edge.

Naruto stared wide-eyed at the Konoha skyline before dragging his eyes up to the twinkling stars above. He was still panting like he had run a marathon. Despite the cold, he felt like he was burning, suffocating in his clothes, and he grasped at his jacket and began to yank the buttons open before pulling off his striped scarf, letting it fall to the ground twenty feet below. His heart was showing no signs of stopping its insane pace, and a stab of fear ran through him. Was he having a heart attack? He rubbed his hand over his chest, and then slipped it under his sweater to knead on the skin directly over his heart. His eyes fluttered closed as he relived the feeling of soft lips on his skin over and over, those lips pulling into the most beautiful smile.

A lump formed in his throat, and he couldn't help but whimper softly as he continued to rub his chest. His lips trembled as his emotions raged in his mind, as if his brain forgot how to function, and he grinned stupidly at the sky while tears formed in his eyes. He drew a ragged breath and exhaled shakily, his wet eyes falling on the stone face of his father.

With a swallow, he bit his lip as one thought circled in his mind.

 _Oh no, oh no, oh no…_

Instinctively, he knew what this was. It was as if a dam had shattered in the back of his mind, letting loose a torrent of emotion that he just had to let slam into him. There was no controlling it. It was all-consuming, lifegiving, terrifying. The dam could never be fixed, and he was shocked to find that he was glad. He was done running from it.

"I...I love…" he croaked at the mountain, struggling to form even basic words. A soft chuckle rose from his chest as he continued to rub it roughly.

He was ruined. She has ruined him forever. She broke the dam and now his heart will only pound like this for her.

"I love you." he whispered to the moon. "I love you. I love you." He stumbled over the syllables, as if he had to practice them, but they felt so good, _he felt so good_.

A gust of frigid air blasted him in the face, but he inhaled it greedily, allowing it to burn his nostrils and throat. And he openly laughed while salty tears froze to his eyelashes.

* * *

Fire crackled within its torch, casting a flickering light over assembled bodies crowded around a long table. In the center was a huge map of the Great Nations, with a number of markers arranged around one dot in the middle of Fire Country.

"Tomorrow, we strike." said the man at the head of the table, aquamarine eyes flashing.

 **If anyone wants to see the image I used as inspiration for Hinata's kimono, see the last picture here:** **costumes/kiki-kiss-traditional-chinese-kimonos-oriental-fantasy**

 **(Yes I know it says "Chinese kimono" lol but I liked this look better than Japanese ones)**


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20 – THE ATTACK**

 _I promise I'll tell you one day._

His alarm had gone off fifteen minutes ago, but still he laid in bed, staring at the yellowing paint on his ceiling that used to be white once. He didn't know what time he managed to get to bed the night before, having stared into the night from the top of that post for what seemed like hours before nearly falling off from exhaustion. He had had a restless sleep, his heart still fluttering madly as he tried to remember exactly how her lips had felt on his skin, so so close to his own mouth but not quite there. It wasn't a true kiss but it hadn't been just a friendly one either. He felt the deliberateness in her action, he had seen the look in her eye. She _meant_ to kiss him there for a _reason_.

Who was the guy she said she'd rather marry? Did she still have feelings for him? Could it be possible that she was starting to see him that way instead? Despite all his resolutions to stay away from her and remain friendly, he couldn't stop hypothesizing ways to get her to talk, to maybe kiss him again. Last night he learned he was in way deeper than he could have ever imagined, and the thought of ignoring the situation just seemed incomprehensible.

 _BEEP BEEP BEEP._ The snooze alarm suddenly went off. Naruto growled in annoyance as he jerked to the side to smash at the buttons until the damn thing turned off. Fuck, he was going to be late for training with Jiraiya.

* * *

"Class…class! Please settle down now!"

"But, Hinata-sensei, can you please please show us how you created the water dragon yesterday? Just once!"

"Yeah please show us Sensei!"

"Please Sensei?"

Hinata sighed and chuckled softly. She had been hoping for an easy last day before the winter school break began, but her students seemed bent on ignoring her requests for order as they tried to make her recreate her water dance from the night before.

In any case, the most she remembered from the night before was what happened after her dance, during a magical walk with one of the most special persons in her life. She bit her tongue to stop herself from groaning at the bold move she made just before they parted. What had she been thinking? How was she even going to look at him the next time she saw him?

Oh but how _wonderful_ it felt to be held in his strong arms. Just the thought of it sent butterflies coursing through her system like mad.

"Children, I am flattered that you are so interested in my performance from yesterday. However, we do have to go through today's lesson plan. It is crucial for the exam that you will take after the break."

The class groaned in despair. Hinata smiled sheepishly and fiddled with her hair as she considered the plan for the day. They had been good up until now, perhaps she could incentivize them to get through the lesson quickly to make time for some fun later.

"Okay, how about this? If you are all very good and we can finish the lesson early, I will show you my water dragon jutsu today after class ends."

The students immediately perked up and cheered. "Alright!" Konohamaru yelled excitedly while Moegi and Udon giggled and chattered with other students.

Hinata smiled and nodded her consent. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get started then!"

She made her way to her desk to pick up the paper handouts that she intended to distribute to the class, glancing out the window as she did so. She suddenly paused and stepped a little closer to the window, her lavender eyes looking up into the sky. There, in the middle of the day, was the moon. While it wasn't completely unnatural to see the moon during the day, what made Hinata pause was the size of the moon. It looked positively huge! Hinata had never seen it look that huge in the day or the night time. _Perhaps it is some sort of special alignment?_ she thought to herself, frowning at the sky slightly before shrugging mentally and turning back to the class.

It was most likely nothing.

* * *

"Boy! Focus! What in Kami's name was that!" roared Jiraiya in frustration, waving his hands in anger at Naruto, who had failed to concentrate heavily enough to conjure his Rasenshiruken. He was barely maintaining Sage Mode in his state, eyes still heavy from lack of sleep, and mind still foggy with thoughts of a girl with lavender eyes and the softest lips.

"Err, sorry Ero-sennin…" Naruto mumbled, snapping to attention at the sound of Jiraiya's voice, itching the back of his head sheepishly. Jiraiya simply threw his hands in the air in exasperation and stalked away, muttering about how he could have been at a bathhouse instead.

Naruto plopped to the grass with a weary sigh, rubbing his temples before staring at the beautiful landscape that was the Land of the Toads. His eyes lingered on a rather large male toad who was snuggling peacefully against his mate, and he sighed yet again.

A water bottle was suddenly shoved in his face, and Naruto blinked in surprise before slowly taking the offering from his sensei. Jiraiya groaned in effort as he sank down next to the blonde ninja, shifting to get comfortable before sighing in content as he leaned against a tree trunk, chewing absentmindedly on a long piece of grass.

They were quiet for a while. Naruto fiddled with the water bottle, rolling his eyes inwardly as he waited for the inevitable long monologue from his sensei.

"So what's her name?"

Naruto frowned and glanced at Jiraiya, who was still gazing up at the fluffy clouds sailing by.

"What?" he asked crudely.

Jiraiya waved at him lazily. "The girl you're thinking about. What's her name?"

Naruto's eyes widened. Had he been that obvious?

"G-girl? There is no girl, old man! I don't know what you're talking about." Naruto quickly retorted.

Jiraiya simply chuckled. "Come now boy, I'm not stupid. I can spot those puppy love eyes anywhere. She must be something because you've been googly-eyed all day."

Naruto flushed and whipped his head to stare at the grass. His stomach clenched as he tried to think of what to say. He desperately wanted to voice his thoughts but at the same time couldn't bear to address them.

"It's nothing. I promise I'll focus more this time." he growled, beginning to rise to his feet, but stopped in surprise when Jiraiya tugged him back to the ground none too gently.

"Aw that's not true. Why don't you tell Old Man Jiraiya what's on your mind? I want the juicy details! I can even give you some advice with your girl troubles." said the Sage with a devilish grin.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Your advice would just make it worse!"

"Oh! But you don't deny having girl troubles then?" asked Jiraiya gleefully. Naruto blinked and then glared at the ground.

"Maybe. But it doesn't matter whether you give me advice or not. Nothing is going to happen anyways."

Jiraiya clucked his tongue. "Now now Naruto, those are not the kinds of words I want to be hearing from my student! I have barely even taught you the language of love, the art of romance! Once I show you my tricks she simply won't be able to get enough of you!"

"I don't want to know your pervy tricks, old man! I'm telling you none of that stuff matters! It's pointless for me to even try anything so let's just forget it, okay?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at the despair in his voice. "Why do you say pointless? You may be a brat but there is still hope for you yet. We just have to do something about your wardrobe…"

"It's pointless because it is!" Naruto snarled, pounding a fist into the earth. "It wouldn't matter if I changed my clothes or what I said! At the end of the day I am still who I am, and I can't hide it behind words or clothes forever. And no one in their right mind would want _that_."

Jiraiya's smile had faded. "Want…what?"

Naruto glared at him before grabbing the hem of his shirt and lifting roughly. " _That_."he growled angrily, pointing to the black tattoo on his stomach. "Remember, _stupid old man_? The _monster inside of me_!" he yelled, his emotions, still raw from the night before, driving him to shout.

Jiraiya simply stared at him calmly, glancing at the seal. Naruto's blue eyes bore into the Toad Sage before he huffed and suddenly rose to his feet, stalking over to the nearby stream before squatting to throw water on his face. The cold water felt good as it ran down his neck, helping him breathe and take in his surroundings before splashing some more. He finally stopped, peering down at the water's crystalline surface to take in his reflection. He remained quiet when Jiraiya's reflection appeared beside his own.

"What do you see?"

Naruto inhaled through his nose. "Just me."

"Really? Are you sure you don't see a monster? Maybe with red fur, pointy ears and sharp teeth?"

Naruto snorted softly. "No."

"Not even any bloodlust in the eyes?"

"No! But Sensei…he is inside me. I can't take him out. Everyone… _everyone_ has hated me for having the Kyuubi. A-and I get why! What if I lost control and hurt people and destroyed things? And how can I explain that I hear the voice of a _demon_ in my head? No one would ever be able to see past that."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, I can definitely see where you're coming from but, first things first, not _everyone_ has hated you." Jiraiya winked at Naruto's stare.

"Second, if a person really loves you they will embrace all parts of you, even the less agreeable parts, and especially those that you have had _no control over_. Did you ask for the Kyuubi to be encased in your body?"

"No…but-"

"Have you ever lost control and destroyed the entire village?"

"No! But-"

"If it were the other way around, and the girl was the one hiding the Kyuubi inside of her, would you hold it against her when you found out? Would you shun her and run away screaming?"

Naruto opened his mouth but no words came out. If Hinata was the one with the Kyuubi would he stay away from her because of it?

"No…" he breathed. "It…it wouldn't be her fault, what happened to her. I couldn't blame her for it. I would…just be upset that she didn't tell me sooner, so I could help her through it…" he trailed off, his mind racing.

"But, even still! Even if she did accept me, that doesn't mean she'd want to be in a relationship with me. Her clan would never accept me as her boyfriend. I'm not _marriage-material_." said Naruto, spitting out the last couple of words.

"Just so we are clear, we are talking about the Hyuuga girl correct?"

Naruto snapped his head to gape at the Toad Sage, who simply grinned at the fierce blush on the blonde's face.

"Fantastic! The… _older_ Hyuuga girl, right?"

Naruto sputtered. "Y-yes the _older_ one, you damn perv!"

"Love finds a way."

The blonde ninja frowned. "Love finds a way?"

Jiraiya nodded, gazing at the fish swimming by in the stream. "Love is more powerful than any jutsu. It can cause entire villages to follow a single person into battle. It can start wars, and it can end them. It will make a mother sacrifice her life for her child's safety." Jiraiya glanced at Naruto with a small smile. "If you find real love boy, and I'm talking the real unconditional "til death do us part" love, not that flimsy trivial crap, then understand this: clans don't matter, rules don't matter, expectations don't matter. If you both love each other that deeply, then together you can overcome anything."

Naruto blinked before lifting his head slowly to meet Jiraiya's face, surprised at the depth of his gaze and the smile on his face.

"And if it's really the Hyuuga girl then, you really don't need my advice." Jiraiya finished with a deep laugh. Naruto cocked his head in confusion.

"Hey, what do you mean-"

" _Jiraiya!_ " a deep voice suddenly boomed across the field, sending birds flying up into the sky in surprise. Naruto and Jiraiya snapped their heads up at the sound of something huge bounding their way. It wasn't hard to spot Gamabunta leaping towards them at a speed Naruto didn't know the enormous toad was capable of.

Jiraiya frowned and got to his feet. "Gama? What is it?" he called as the toad lord approached.

"There is a problem. Konoha is under attack at this moment." Gamabunta announced, eying the ninjas with his reptilian eyes.

Naruto jumped to his feet. " _Under attack?_ What do you mean? By who?"

"My messengers state it appears to be dark hooded figures. Hundreds of them, potentially, attacking the entire village. It is unclear who is leading them. But that is not the biggest problem…" Gamabunta looked up at the blue sky.

"The moon is…falling."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. " _Falling?_ "

Naruto began to breathe heavily, his eyes flashing between Gamabunta and the sky, which was moonless due to the distance they traveled by going to Mount Myoboku.

 _Hinata_

* * *

~An hour earlier~

"Okay, now watch me!"

Hinata released a short breath before raising her hands out in front of her before the small pool of water she had placed in the center of the Academy's training field, her water bending fans in her grasp. Her students stood at a safe distance around her.

Making sweeping motions similar to those she made during the water dance, Hinata began to mold the water with chakra.

"See how the water fans are crucial in weaving the chakra with the water? It allows me to be much more accurate than what I can do with my hands." Hinata commented as she worked on developing a smaller version of the water dragon.

"Ooooo" her class exclaimed in excitement. They laughed and pointed as a shadow of a shape began to form under the water's surface. Soon Hinata had gathered the water in a way she was satisfied with, and she lifted the jutsu into the air to the students' delight.

Hinata made the dragon travel in the air above the children's heads, smiling as they tried to jump and grab at it.

There was a spark of light in the corner of her eye, and she reflexively glanced towards it and did a double take. The smile on her face faded, and a sharp gasp released from her mouth.

A deafening siren began to sound. The Hokage's tower had spotted it too. Hinata had never heard that siren before but she immediately knew what it meant: it was the Level Five threat signal.

The water dragon suddenly dispersed and rained down on the startled students, all of them gaping up at the sky, surprise giving way to confusion and fear.

"S-sensei?" croaked Konohamaru.

Frozen, Hinata and her students stared at the enormous, house-sized rock falling from the sky right towards the village.

* * *

Somewhere in the forest surrounding Konoha, Naruto and Jiraiya jumped out of Gamabunta's mouth at the same time and immediately took off for Konoha's main gates. Gamabunta and a number of his children were behind them, prepared for a fight. Naruto clenched his teeth as he pushed himself faster, his heart pounding as he began to rev up his chakra for Sage Mode. The contingent came up a small hill and slowed to a sudden halt as they took in the scene.

Konoha was in chaos. Naruto could hear screams from terrified villagers that were scrambling in the streets, taking cover as Konoha ninja of all levels were fighting with the same hooded puppets that they had been searching for over the last few months. They were everywhere. Every shinobi was facing multiple puppets at once, leaping from the rooftops to evade chakra bombs that exploded on contact with buildings and the ground. A siren was sounding from the Hokage tower, droning in a bone-chilling way.

Shouts suddenly sprang up to the left, and Naruto looked around frantically for the source. A number of shinobi were evacuating the southern part of the village, yelling and pointing to the sky. Naruto heard Jiraiya swear, and he looked up to where the ninja were pointing. His heart slammed into his throat.

An enormous fiery boulder was racing to the ground right where the ninja were evacuating. It was too late to try and deflect it. Naruto's group could only watch in horror as it slammed into the southern Konoha wall, demolishing a handful of houses and sending up a plume of smoke and debris in its wake. Fresh screams wailed into the air. Further up in the sky, the moon loomed. It was huge, the biggest moon Naruto's ever seen, and far in the distance he could see another piece of it entering the atmosphere.

"Naruto." Naruto whipped around at Jiraiya's sharp, no-nonsense tone. "Clones."

Naruto blinked and then nodded quickly, putting his hands together. How many did he even need?

 _Hinata._

" _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_ " Jiraiya's eyebrows raised at the army of Narutos that appeared instantly. There were more than a hundred of them.

"Have them enter and engage the puppets. Gama, can you hold the southern wall? Naruto and I will join the Hokage." Jiraiya said quickly but calmly. The giant toad hummed in response, seeming intrigued by the commotion. With some booming orders, the toads began to move out.

"Wait, I need to see if my friends are alright!" Naruto protested, anxious to get moving. Jiraiya shook his head.

"No. Hokage first to assess and receive orders, then you act! Let's go."

Naruto growled viciously, dread filling his stomach as he imagined how his friends were faring, but he knew not to mess with Jiraiya when he gave that voice. He quickly sent out a mental message to his clones.

 _Go and fight those assholes!_

The clones shouted in confirmation and began to stampede towards the village.

"Naruto, let's move."

Naruto leaped away with his sensei, the adrenaline from the promise of battle surging through him.

They rushed to the Hokage tower. The puppets began to take notice of the two significant chakra signatures entering the village and advanced towards them, readying new chakra attacks. Naruto summoned yet another clone and began to create a Rasengan. Together, him and Jiraiya began to fight. Naruto's senses were assaulted with the smell of burning buildings as he shoved his Rasengan into the puppet's chest, then kicked at another one coming from his right. Jiraiya blew a spout of fire from his mouth, eliminating four at once.

They continued to race to the Hokage, picking up on Tsunade's chakra signature, and stopped periodically to fight off incoming puppets. Another huge boom was heard as a chunk of moon fell just outside the city wall, luckily not hitting anything in its wake. Naruto sped up as he spotted Tsunade standing on the roof of the Hokage tower with a squad of ANBU.

"Jiraiya!" called Tsunade as they approached. "Where have you been?"

"Myoboku. Gama was able to notify us about what was happening. What's the latest?" replied Jiraiya.

Tsunade set her angry hazel eyes on the scene in front of her. "They came out of nowhere. Hundreds of these puppets. The moon too, I don't understand at all how it got like this, it is as if it transformed overnight! My scientists have been absolutely useless. We are on the defensive trying to prevent loss of life and eliminate as many of the puppets as possible. My ANBU are looking for the source. It's like they are dropping from the sky! We have dispatched messengers to get backup from Suna and Kiri. There is a huge group of puppets attacking the Hyuuga estate, but it has been a struggle to get past their defenses to help the Hyuuga."

Naruto's heart froze. "The _Hyuuga_ estate?" His eyes flew widely around until he focused in the direction of the estate towards the east. There was definitely a greater battle occurring there as he saw shinobi and puppets clashing violently.

"No!" He impulsively made to run but was jerked back by the collar by Jiraiya. " _Wait_ , boy!" the sage hissed.

Tsunade looked at Naruto strangely but then nodded curtly. "No, let him go, we need his manpower there. But Naruto! Find Kakashi and wait to receive orders from him!" Tsunade yelled as Naruto already began to make a beeline for the Hyuuga estate.

Naruto willed himself to go faster as he raced to the Hyuuga mansion on the rooftops, choosing to evade puppets rather than stop to fight them on his way. He dropped onto a tree branch just above where he had once dropped off Hinata from an ink bird and looked around anxiously. The Hyuuga mansion was already quite damaged with broken windows, roofs, and small fires burning around the building and the gardens. He could see Hinata's family members fighting the enemies, but he couldn't spot her unique indigo hair amongst the brunette Hyuugas.

"Naruto." Kakashi appeared to his right. "I assume the Hokage sent you."

"Kakashi-sensei, is Hinata here? Is she alright? Why are they attacking the Hyuuga?" Naruto asked vehemently, his eyes still searching in vain.

"No idea. But I am assuming they are looking for Main family members. We have located Hyuuga Hiashi but his daughters are still missing. I need you to-"

Naruto tuned out Kakashi as he summoned natural energy. He had officially had enough of this disaster. His body began to glow with yellow chakra and his eyes changed color while his senses multiplied. He began to scan the Hyuuga mansion, flicking his eyes at all of the chakra signatures running around. He was not practiced at identifying individual people just by their chakra, but somehow he knew.

"She isn't there." he said harshly. Kakashi frowned at him as Naruto swiveled and began to look around the village.

 _Come on, come on_ … he thought fiercely. _Where the hell_ …he paused, stopping in the direction of the Academy. It was late, technically, she shouldn't have still been at the school but…

He felt it. He felt _her._

"There!" he snarled, ending his Sage Mode and leaping from the tree.

"Wait, Naruto!" Kakashi called, taking off after him.

They jumped across the rooftops, dodging attacks from puppets as well as debris from falling asteroids. Naruto felt his clones dispelling and summoned new ones to replace them. And then suddenly they were across the street from the Academy, in the same tree where Naruto once watched Hinata train the students.

The place was crawling with puppets. It seemed they had also realized that the Hyuuga heiress was not in fact at home, and they were amassing in dizzying numbers above the Academy, which had lost a big chunk of its roof from the violence. Naruto strained his eyes to see past the black robes as he heard Kakashi shouting orders to surrounding ANBU to help contain the situation. His stomach flopped when he caught sight of movement inside the Academy through the open roof.

"Hinata!" he cried, locking his sight onto the indigo-haired girl in the center of the exposed classroom. He gritted his teeth when he saw all of her students huddled close to her in fear. The puppets were blocking all possible exits, trapping Hinata and her young charges.

More ANBU and shinobi forces were answering Kakashi's call, engaging the puppets in an attempt to subdue them and get closer to Hinata, but it seemed the puppets were also increasing their numbers as they zeroed in on the Hyuuga heiress.

Naruto growled in anger and prepared to run for Hinata but Kakashi suddenly yanked him to the side. "Watch it!"

A chakra bomb hit the tree and exploded right where him and Kakashi had been standing. An ANBU quickly descended on the puppet and dispatched it from behind before flickering away to continue fighting.

"We need to get in there!" said Naruto angrily. Kakashi shook his head once. "Wait Naruto, we need to find an entry point, otherwise you will just get swarmed by those puppets!" he said as he watched the puppets accumulating in shocking numbers. "They seem to be using their numbers as defense so we cannot get to Hinata."

Naruto was about to scream at Kakashi when the cloud of puppets suddenly began to descend towards Hinata.

"What the…Hinata!" Naruto shouted in fear as they closed in on the girl and her students.

He could see Hinata look up at her attackers as the children became frantic. She raised one arm into the air and seemed to concentrate heavily. Naruto and Kakashi could only watch as water began to collect rapidly in a huge bubble above her hand, getting larger and larger. Then, Hinata's chakra surged upward like a blue beam of light, and the water bubble quickly ballooned into a dome-like shape.

"Whoa…" Naruto murmured as he and Kakashi watched the dome grow and slam into the puppets above, shoving them away roughly. Some puppets attempted to throw chakra bombs at the dome, but the attacks simply exploded or even ricocheted off the jutsu. _A water net_ , Naruto suddenly realized as the effects reminded him of that day at the beach.

The dome continued to rise and expand until it was larger than the Academy roof, and then it dissipated into thousands of water droplets. Many puppets had been battered to the ground, but still more came to replace them, slowly gathering back above the Academy.

"Hn, a strong jutsu, but not quite enough to eliminate them all. There are too many." Kakashi said.

"We have to help her!" Naruto said furiously as he saw Hinata prepare a second net. He could tell that with the amount of chakra she was pouring out for the jutsu that she couldn't keep it up for long. Hinata could have just attacked each puppet directly with Gentle Fist, but he knew she didn't want to leave her students to fend for themselves.

"Call more clones. If we can dispatch enough of them we can find a way to evacuate the students." said Kakashi.

But Naruto was already thinking of something else entirely as he watched the second net cast away the puppets temporarily. _It just needs more power._

Seeing Hinata stagger to her knees as she strained to maintain the jutsu was the final straw.

"I have a better idea." he said with gritted teeth before suddenly launching himself from the tree, ignoring Kakashi's alarmed calls.

* * *

"Sensei!" Konohamaru cried out in concern as Hinata slumped to her knees, panting heavily as she let go of the water net jutsu. She had never casted such large nets before, and the exertion was already draining her to dangerously low chakra levels.

"I-It's okay…" Hinata struggled to speak, sweat running down the side of her face. Her body felt shaky, she knew she couldn't do this for long. The puppets had come out of nowhere, and for some reason they weren't leaving her class alone, like they wanted something from her. She could break away from the class and battle her way out, but she knew that she couldn't leave her young students to an A-rank level confrontation. The best strategy she could come up with was to eliminate them all at once so the kids could make a run for it, but it was becoming impossible. For every puppet she blew away, two more came back to replace it.

She heard some of the students whimpering and picked up her head to see the puppets amassing once more. Dread filled her stomach as she shakily raised up her arm again, taking deep breaths as she tried to remain calm. She couldn't see how she could do this again. She was _so_ tired. A lump began to form in her throat as she felt herself beginning to panic.

" _Rasengan!_ "

The students gasped in shock as an explosion occurred to the right of the building, and a number of puppets were blasted away by a black and orange blur. Suddenly, Hinata felt strong arms wrap around her as she came face to face with electric blue eyes.

She heard his deep voice murmur in her ear. "Hiya, Sensei."

Her heart fluttered madly and she threw her arms around his neck in great relief. "N-Naruto-kun!" she breathed, and they held each other tightly for a moment, both kneeling on the classroom floor.

"Please Naruto-kun, help the students get away, I…I can't…" Hinata began when they pulled away, but Naruto shook his head quickly.

"Don't worry, I got a better idea." He smiled at her confused face before directing his attention over her shoulder to look at Konohamaru, who had been standing there gaping at his sudden appearance.

" _Konohamaru_." The young boy stood ramrod straight. Never had he heard Naruto sound so authoritative in his life. "When we attack I want you to get everybody out of here. Get as far away as possible. Do you understand me?"

Konohamaru's eyes widened at Naruto's serious tone and the hard look in his stormy ocean eyes.

"H-Hai…" he responded shakily, to which Naruto just nodded curtly before he turned his head to murmur in Hinata's ear some more. The boy watched as Naruto softly encouraged Hinata as he held her securely in his arms. Hinata nodded at his words and allowed him to guide her arm with one of his own back to pointing to the puppets above, which were closing in by the second. Konohamaru was mesmerized by how Naruto had taken control of the situation and put his sensei at ease, and despite the circumstances a rush of intense respect and pride overtook the young man. _Nii-san…_

He suddenly snapped out of it and faced his peers with newfound energy. "Guys, get ready to run on my signal!" he shouted.

"I'm going to give you my chakra. Just focus on channeling it into the jutsu, okay?" said Naruto, firmly holding up Hinata's arm by the wrist while he soothingly rubbed her back with his other hand. Hinata let out a short breath before nodding resolutely and glaring at their enemies above. Naruto felt her begin to charge up and he quickly did the same, holding her close as he willed his chakra to be absorbed by her body. Hinata felt his energy and began to breathe heavily as the adrenaline kickstarted her system and enabled her to initiate the jutsu. Naruto and Hinata both looked upwards as their combined chakra was funneling into the growing water dome above.

Naruto looked down briefly at Konohamaru. " _Go!_ " he shouted.

Konohamaru nodded and waved at his class. "Come on!"

Naruto turned back to Hinata, their hair whipping back and forth from the wind kicked up by the jutsu's intensity. "Just a bit more, you're doing great." he said into her ear as he saw her eyes flutter closed for a moment.

Hinata clenched her teeth and nodded before looking up stubbornly at her attackers. The dome was getting bigger and bigger. Naruto held Hinata tightly as he focused on feeding her his chakra without overwhelming her, burying his face into her neck and inhaling her sweet smell. Hinata shivered even while casting her jutsu and turned her head towards Naruto, who picked his head up as well. High off adrenaline, they pressed their foreheads together. A gentle warmth filled Hinata's core as Naruto's chakra infused with her own, and her lavender eyes fluttered, giving his nose a butterfly kiss. Naruto let out a breath, and he gripped her wrist a little tighter. The flow of chakra seemed to be drawing them together like magnets, and both were struggling to keep clear heads. Naruto gazed at Hinata through lidded eyes and gently rubbed his nose against hers. An aura of chakra had surrounded the two ninja, so bright it was blinding them from everything else but each other.

Naruto somehow felt like he was falling. Their mouths were so close to each other, he could feel her breathy gasps against his lips. The battle was momentarily forgotten as he dipped his head even closer to hers.

"Hina…" he murmured, his lips brushing featherlike ever so faintly against hers with each syllable he spoke.

"Naru…" she whispered, her lips doing the same, sending electric shocks through his body and making him lose focus. His chakra surged forward a bit more, and the aura of energy around them intensified, roaring in their ears. But all the two ninja could see was each other within the blinding light, and their heads inched towards each other.

Then they were pitching forward. Total, complete blackness. Naruto stuck his hands out blindly as he fell to his knees with a splash, registering belatedly that his hands and knees were submerged in shallow water.

A splash and feminine cry a few feet in front of him brought him back to alertness. "Hinata?" he cried out, his voice echoing loudly. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he made out Hinata's outline, she was similarly on her hands and knees, looking around in pure confusion.

"Naruto-kun! What…what happened…"

Still on all fours, Naruto slowly took in his surroundings. It was so dark he couldn't see any walls, for all he knew the space stretched on infinitely. He looked down at the water his hands were submerged in. Something about this felt intimately familiar, he had a strong sense of déjà vu, it was as if he was….

 _Oh…oh no._

He looked up slowly, staring past Hinata, and saw the unmistakable outline of huge metal bars, and up higher there was a piece of parchment with ancient writing on it. A seal.

His insides ran ice cold. "Hinata-"

HMMM, HOW INTERESTING…

Hinata jumped at the deep, inhuman voice that seemed to be coming from all directions. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up as she sensed a presence behind her. Whatever it was, it was the single most powerful chakra presence she had ever felt in her life.

She heard some splashing, and a wet hand grabbed her chin before she could turn her head around. She looked at Naruto and was alarmed by the look in his eyes. They were dark with an emotion she couldn't identify.

"Hinata, d-don't look." he rasped, his tone low with a fear Hinata had never heard in Naruto's voice before. Enormous footsteps began to shake the ground beneath them, making the water ripple violently.

HYUUGA HIII-NAAA-TAAA… Hinata felt goosebumps all over her body as she heard the terrible voice call her directly.

" _DON'T_!" roared Naruto. "Don't you _DARE TALK TO HER_! Hinata, listen, I'll get us out of here, just don't look okay?"

The voice chuckled tauntingly. WHY NOT?

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered. For some reason she could see that they weren't in immediate danger as Naruto wasn't attempting to run or attack the _thing_ behind them, but his frenzied state wasn't putting her at ease. " _What_ …is going on?"

I CAN TELL YOU…

Naruto flinched and shut his eyes briefly as his mind raced. Never in his life had someone been transported into his mindscape with the Kyuubi before.

Hinata frowned at Naruto's distressed appearance. Somehow, she felt there was something more complicated going on.

"Naruto, please…" she got his attention with her soft voice and lack of honorific. "There is a fight still going on. I see we were transported somewhere…and we need to go back. Maybe if I turn around…it'll help."

Naruto dragged his eyes slowly to hers, looking at her face as if committing it to his memory.

Finally, he swallowed and looked down in defeat. He let his hand fall from her face.

Hinata took a shaky breath and rose to her feet. She clenched her fists as she tried to brace herself for whatever she was about to face. Turning slowly, her pale eyes took in the sight of an enormous cage, bigger than the Hokage Tower.

Her blood ran cold as she saw movement just beyond the stretch of dim light that reached into the cage. The sheer power emanating from the cell made her body shake, but she forced herself to take a few steps forward.

"Who are you?" she called, forcing herself not to stutter.

She froze as a huge eye flicked open, hovering in the darkness beyond the bars. The eye was blood red and slitted like an animal. And it was looking right at her.

REALLY?

The eye moved, and she felt more ground shaking footsteps. She gasped as the huge creature slowly came into view. Blood red fur, pointed ears, long whiskers, enormous fangs, vicious claws.

And tails. So many of them.

YOU SHOULD KNOW WHO I AM, the voice said imperiously.

Hinata stared wide eyed at the gigantic animal gazing at her from behind the bars. Immediately on sight she did in fact know who, or what, it was. But it seemed inconceivable. Could it be a genjutsu?

"Fox demon…" she whispered.

A deep, sinister chuckle followed. SHES A SMART ONE, the demon replied, baring its fangs in a horrible smile. It brought its head even closer to the bars and inhaled deeply.

Hinata swallowed. It seemed the cage was holding the demon back. She couldn't recognize the seal on the bars but it looked extremely complex, so perhaps while it was there she was safe.

"Are you the one behind the attacks?" she pressed, trying to hold onto a sliver of courage.

Its laughter rattled her skeleton. I HAVEN'T ATTACKED ANYTHING IN A LONG TIME. JUST ASK THE BOY. HE WOULD KNOW.

Hinata glanced back at Naruto, who was glaring murderously at the demon.

"W-why would he know?" Hinata asked softly, still looking at Naruto.

BECAUSE, THE BOY IS MY JAILER. MY KEEPER. MY CONTAINER. MY JINCHUURIIKIIIII, the fox continued to laugh. HE HAS HELD ME HERE IN HIS BODY FOR TWENTY YEARS AND SEVENTY DAYS.

Hinata stood still as she processed what she had just heard. "Jinchuuriki…" she repeated as she looked at Naruto in shock.

Naruto cringed at the look Hinata was giving him while the damned fox continued to laugh its head off, and he lowered his head in abject shame again.

Hinata's mind was in turmoil. Images of Naruto as a poor orphan, beaten by bullies, chased by villagers, hated for no reason, filled with endless amounts of chakra, swirled in her head. It was unbelievable, and yet…

"Oh, Naruto…" she breathed.

"I…I'm sorry, Hina…" Naruto mumbled, his voice cracking at her words. Hinata's heart shattered at how vulnerable he was, and within seconds she had run back over to him and fell to her knees with a splash, throwing her arms around him protectively. Naruto took a shuddering breath and clutched at her sides before burying his face into her shoulder.

The Kyuubi finally quieted down and watched the pair with vague interest.

"I-I swear I can explain…I wanted to tell you for so l-long, but…I just c-couldn't and…I promise when we get out of here I'll tell you everything, if you just give me a ch-chance. Please?" Naruto spoke in jilted speech as he struggled not to break down, holding onto her like a lifeboat while he hid his face in her neck.

He felt her fingers tangle in his hair as she squeezed him tighter. "It's okay Naruto-kun, you don't have to explain anything. It doesn't matter. I don't need to know. It doesn't matter." she murmured softly, caressing his hair before forcing him to look at her. She was saddened by the tears tumbling down his face and she brushed at them gently with her thumbs.

"H-how could you say it doesn't _matter_?" Naruto asked lowly, gaining back a bit of strength in his voice, not wanting to believe she could accept the situation so easily.

"Because it doesn't." she said simply, smiling at him faintly. "You are you, and the demon is a demon. Two separate things, right?"

Naruto looked at her uncertainly. "Well, yeah…"

"Then it doesn't matter."

Naruto stared at the Hyuuga, taking in her resolute expression and soft eyes. There were so many things, so many things he wanted to fight back with, to challenge her, ask questions, but her words repeated over and over in his mind and everything else dissipated.

Her hand cupped his cheek, and he naturally nuzzled his face into it and took a shuddering breath, his eyes beginning to dry. The most wonderful feeling was pooling deep in his chest. He was relieved. Amazed. Humbled by her acceptance. Ashamed he doubted her. Angry for doubting himself. But above all, so _so_ relieved.

He finally gave a sheepish smile, to which she smiled back and teasingly pinched his cheek, making him grin. He suddenly grabbed her hand and kissed her palm deeply.

"Thank you." he said, looking into her lavender eyes meaningfully. Despite the presence of a literal demon only a few meters away, Hinata still blushed heavily.

HOW TOUCHING.

A vein pulsed on Naruto's forehead, but he had finally regained his composure. He gently took her hands in his and pulled her up so they were both standing.

"Excuse me for a moment." he said with a small smile, rolling his eyes towards the cage. Hinata giggled.

Naruto turned towards the cage and his expression hardened. "Show's over, Fox! Now tell me how to get out of here right now!"

The Kyuubi eyed him. WHY? I WAS HOPING TO MAKE SOME TEA AND CONTINUE CHATTING.

Naruto growled fiercely, but was cut off by Hinata suddenly losing her balance and dropping to her knees.

Naruto crouched down next to her instantly. "Hinata? What's wrong?" he said worriedly, watching her blink rapidly in concern.

"I…I just feel weak…" she murmured, slumping to the side. Naruto grabbed her in alarm and held her against him.

"Kyuubi, what's wrong with her?" he asked in mounting panic at her sudden change in health.

The fox demon grunted, eyeing the girl with narrowed eyes. SHE IS LOSING CHAKRA. YOU ARE BOTH HERE BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON THE MERGING OF YOUR CHAKRAS CAUSED YOU TO WITHDRAW INTO YOUR MINDSCAPE AND BRING HER CONSCIOUS WITH YOU. IT'S RARE BUT CAN HAPPEN. The Kyuubi mused as Naruto listened carefully.

YOUR ACTUAL BODIES ARE STILL ON THE OUTSIDE ENGAGING IN THE JUTSU SHE IS CASTING. TIME IN THE MINDSCAPE PASSES MUCH FASTER THAN TIME OUTSIDE, SO A SECOND OUT THERE IS A FEW MINUTES IN HERE. BECAUSE SHE IS LOSING ENERGY OUTSIDE, HER CONSCIOUS HERE IS FADING AS WELL.

Naruto's worry doubled at the demon's words. "Then we gotta leave! Please, Kyuubi, I beg you. I can't let her get hurt." he pleaded with the monster, looking deep into its red eyes.

"I-I…I'm okay." Hinata finally murmured, struggling to sit up. Naruto looked at her anxiously and looked back at the demon, which sighed.

BOY, STOP BEING SO STUPID. IT'S YOUR HEAD. YOU CAN EXERT AS MUCH CONTROL AS YOU WANT. IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE, LEAVE. it said boredly.

Naruto frowned at the Kyuubi. Just leave?

The demon yawned. WELL, I'LL BE GOING BACK TO NAP. GREAT CHAT. DO COME AGAIN SOON.

Hinata's eyes fluttered open. "Thank you, Kyuubi-sama…" she called tiredly, surprising Naruto and the demon both.

The Kyuubi turned back its head, eyeing the young woman for a moment.

KURAMA.

Hinata looked at the fox in slight confusion before smiling. "Kurama-sama." she corrected.

Naruto looked back and forth between Hinata and the demon, wondering about the weird understanding they seemed to suddenly have, when his brain caught up.

"Wait… _Kurama_? Like, that's your _actual name_? You have a name and you tell _her_ before telling even me?" he shouted in disbelief.

The fox demon groaned and rolled its eyes. GET OVER IT.

He gaped at the giant fox as it receded into the void, finally turning his head at the sound of Hinata's soft giggles. He eyed her with an eyebrow raised and smirked slightly.

"Alright alright…ready to go?" he asked, bringing her closer when she nodded. He took a deep breath and concentrated, bringing his forehead to hers for good measure. He was scared of leaving her behind in here by herself.

 _Go back, go back,_ he thought hard. _Go back-_

He started when he felt the mindscape fading away. "Okay, stay with me, Hinata!" he said out loud.

"Always, Naruto." he heard her whisper. Blue eyes met lavender for a precious moment before he pulled her to his chest and shut his eyes, bracing himself for a potential impact.

A ringing noise got louder and louder in his ears, and he gritted his teeth until it suddenly stopped. His eyes snapped open just as the blinding light dispersed rapidly and him and Hinata fell to the ground.

Naruto's eyes fluttered and he looked up at the sky through the damaged roof of the Academy. It was clear, the jutsu must have worked.

He groaned as he picked himself up off of the ground. "Hinata!" he exclaimed as he saw her lying unresponsive next to him. He quickly pulled her into his arms, brushing the hair out of her face before scanning her in mounting panic.

CHAKRA EXHAUSTION, the Kyuubi, now known as Kurama, said in the same bored tone. SHE'LL BE FINE, JUST TAKE HER TO A HEALER. DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING TO YOU?

Naruto humphed and got to his feet quickly, holding Hinata's limp body bridal style. Once she felt secure in his arms, he took off for the hospital. Outside the Academy, puppet bodies littered the ground, and it seemed the Leaf shinobi were gaining the upper hand on the few that withstood Hinata's attack.

"Naruto!" Naruto saw Kakashi fall in step beside him.

"I see you recovered Hinata. Is she going to be alright?"

Naruto nodded quickly. "Yeah it's chakra exhaustion. I'm taking her to the hospital now."

Kakashi nodded. "Good. For some reason the moon has stopped breaking apart, and the puppets are retreating. However I just received word from Sai that Hyuuga Hanabi was taken."

Naruto clenched his teeth and looked down at Hinata worriedly. She was going to be distraught at the news.

"The Hokage is having us take some teams to begin an immediate search and rescue mission and she wants you on it. We need to leave as soon as possible so we can make it through one of the portals that the puppets are most likely using."

Naruto tensed. He didn't like the idea of leaving Hinata in her state at all, but he had to follow orders. Plus, he definitely wanted to help find Hinata's sister as he knew how insanely worried Hinata was going to be.

"Okay. I'll take her to the hospital and then will join you." he responded to Kakashi, who just nodded once before flickering out of sight.

Naruto made it in record time to the hospital, skipping the reception and the chaos in the hallways that had been created by the conflict and just jumped through the open window of one of the patient rooms. Luckily the bed was still empty, and Naruto gently deposited Hinata on the mattress. He ensured she was in a comfortable position before pausing to stare at her. So many things had happened in one day, and while it was insane and chaotic, his could only focus on what happened in the surreal scene with the Kyuubi.

In a few simple words, Hinata had erased all his doubts and fears, while staring down the greatest demon known to man. All he wanted to do in that moment was cuddle her, kiss her lips and neck and chest, spin her around, tickle her, chase her around, look deep into her eyes and tell her he loved her a thousand times. He hadn't even asked her yet but to him she was already his, she _belonged to him_. He felt Kurama rumble in agreement.

Brushing her face gently with his fingers, he vowed silently that when this latest crazy episode was over, he would make her his.

Standing up in resolution, he quickly made a clone. "Go find Sakura-chan and have her take a look at Hinata." he ordered.

When the clone ran out of the room Naruto gave Hinata one last look of longing before he forced himself to leave.

Launching himself out of the window, he zeroed in on Kakashi's chakra and made a beeline for it. He allowed himself to finally feel his anger.

 _Whoever this fucker who attacked Konoha and the Hyuuga is, I'm going to make his life a_ living hell _!_

Naruto smirked as he heard Kurama roar in bloodlust.

* * *

 **(A/N): Sorry guys. Went back to school, low on time etc etc. On summer break now, and I am back to writing every day. Aiming to wrap up the story in 3-4 more chapters, so we are close** **Thank you for the reviews in the meantime.**

 **xx nineetaaaillled**


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